Biden seeks to motivate voters from all parties against ‘Maga Republicans destroying politics’

Democrats are trying to defy history in November. Since 1934, there have only been two midterm elections - in 1998 and 2002 - when the president's party gained seats in the House of Representatives. Democrats hope that the pattern will be broken for a third time.

While midterms are generally viewed as a referendum on the sitting president and his party, Biden and other Democratic leaders have instead sought to reframe the upcoming elections as a test of American democracy itself. Democrats believe that, if Americans view the elections as a choice between extremists threatening their fundamental rights and candidates seeking to protect those vulnerable freedoms, then the party may be able to maintain their congressional majorities. In Democrats' view, a historic election calls for a history-defying result.

Biden has repeatedly hammered the theme of Republican extremism in recent weeks, as the president has turned more of his attention to the midterm elections. In the past month, Biden has compared Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" philosophy to "semi-fascism", and he has warned that the former president and his allies "represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic".

Biden continued his attacks on "extreme Maga Republicans" on Thursday night, as he spoke at the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

"We're in a serious moment in this nation's history," Biden said on Thursday. "That's why those who love this country - Democrats, independents and mainstream Republicans - have to be stronger, more determined and more committed to saving American democracy than the Maga Republicans are to literally destroying American politics. You just have to vote."

Democratic organizers have similarly embraced issues like voting rights and the protection of America's system of government as they enter the final stretch of the campaign season before the November elections. They argue that a pro-democracy message can help mobilize voters and carry their candidates across the finish line, despite the significant headwinds that the party faces.

There is some evidence to suggest that Biden's pro-democracy messaging is resonating with voters. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken this week, 58% of Americans believe Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement is threatening the country's democratic foundations.