and as cnn's jeremy diamond reports, it sets the stage for the midterms. >> reporter: well, there is certainly some soul searching even hand wringing at the white house on wednesday in the wake of democrats' big loss in the state of virginia. the democratic gubernatorial candidate terry mcauliffe losing to republican glenn youngkin, and some here at the white house and in democratic circles seeing warning signs for the midterms, which are just a year away. we did not see, though, that kind of soul searching from president biden on wednesday. he did not take responsibility for mcauliffe's loss in the state of virginia, although he did acknowledge that maybe, just maybe passing his agenda in congress before election day could have perhaps helped mcauliffe get over the top. again, this is a state that president biden won by ten points during the 2020 elections. but what the president did focus on is what democrats can do between now and the midterm elections, and that's getting things done. >> i do know that people want us to get things done. they want us to get things done. and that's

. >> reporter: jeremy denton didn't vote for biden or slotkin but supports the action on infrastructure. >> the cost of doing business. you have to reinvest if you're going to build these things. if you have a bridge that needs to be repaired, repair the bridge. >> reporter: slotkin, a former cia officer elected to congress in 2018, believes the deep divisions among democrats have raised legitimate questions about the party's ability to govern and to connect with all americans. >> yeah, i think there's disconnect. i mean, i think that the average person is not looking for radical idealogy on any side of the spectrum. they are looking for their government to function and to deliver for people. >> reporter: she has real questions about part two of biden's economic agenda. both its scope and timing given rising concerns about inflation, gas prices, and more. like other moderate democrats, she's waiting to see the cost of the bill before committing her vote. is the white house addressing the needs of everyday americans? >> i think certainly they are trying, but we could be doing more. we've