More Republican candidates fighting for political survival are beginning to distance themselves from President Donald Trump as his approval ratings dip and races once considered safe grow more competitive, according to a new analysis.
The Washington Sun reported Tuesday that several Trump-backed candidates are now breaking with his policies or downplaying their ties to him — a shift driven by rising costs, the Iran war and fears that Republicans could lose both chambers of Congress.
“President Trump’s low approval rates make life tough for Republicans on the ballot,” said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee communications director.
Heye said it was natural for vulnerable candidates “to create distance from Trump,” particularly on unpopular issues such as the Iran war.
“That doesn’t guarantee success, and can be a hard needle to thread, but it’s the natural play,” he added.
Another veteran Republican strategist offered an even more blunt assessment, telling the Sun that some campaigns recognize that there is little they can do to change their fortunes — except “throw up a prayer.”
“Unless it has been part of your brand for some time, I’m not sure voters will really buy it,” according to the strategist, who requested anonymity when speaking with the Sun.
Republican Senate nominees Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Ashley Hinson (R-IA) both recently called for the war in Iran to end after previously defending Trump on the issue, the Sun noted Tuesday.
Hinson’s reversal came as a Marist poll showed her trailing Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek by eight points among registered voters in Iowa.
The growing Republican break with Trump, according to the Sun, is a warning “that a party normally in lockstep views him as a liability in the midterms.”