Obama loses his base as broken promises breed disillusioned Democrats

Enthusiasm gap favors GOP as women, minorities, young voters feel let down by president

As voters cast their final verdict on President Obama Tuesday, Democratic hope has changed to frustration.

The president isn’t on the ballot, although he insists, with poorly timed pride, that the midterm election is a referendum on his agenda. Democratic candidates who are trying to keep control of the Senate hope voters aren’t listening to him.

The election finds Mr. Obama near his lowest job approval rating and leaking support from almost every part of his original winning 2008 coalition: women, minorities and young voters. More than two out of three voters now believe the nation is on the wrong track.

What happened?

“He lost a lot of his base because he overpromised and underperformed,” said Charles Lipson, professor of political science and director of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security at the University of Chicago. “There’s a lot to be disappointed with.”

Hispanics were among the first in Mr. Obama’s coalition to suffer a letdown when he broke his promise to approve immigration reform in the first year of his presidency. Now, in the closing months of the sixth year of his presidency, Mr. Obama is vowing to sign an executive order that is expected to grant amnesty to a significant share of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. — after Tuesday’s vote.

More