GOP has its hands full with a slate of flailing Trump-backed candidates: report
According to a report from Politico, the Republican party is coming to the realization that their hopes of taking control of the Senate in the 2024 midterms are in jeopardy due to being saddled with a slate of candidates handpicked by Donald Trump.
As the Politico report notes, the concerns about losing winnable seats begin with Georgia's Herschel Walker, whose gaffes have made the GOP leadership consider how to limit his exposure to voters over concerns about what he will say.
According to the report, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) admitted that he doesn't want to see Walker in a debate with opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) telling Politico, "they [Democrats] feel like that’s an advantage for their side. And I don’t think Herschel Walker should do anything that gives his opponent an advantage.”
Cramer added that it is a dilemma for the GOP.
“Talking a lot, you make mistakes. Not talking, you don’t make mistakes. Except for the mistake of not talking … people are much more forgiving of your gaffes if you’re talking to them a lot," he stated.
Walker, the report states, is not the only problem dogging their Senate hopes.
"Across the country, Republicans are trying to smooth out their Senate candidates as they try to ride historically high inflation and President Joe Biden’s sub-40-percent approval ratings back to the majority. Republicans need only a net gain of one seat in November to win Senate control next year," the report states before adding, "Republicans are taking an exceedingly light touch in their Senate primaries, to mixed results. Four high-profile governors passed up campaigns: Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Larry Hogan of Maryland and Phil Scott of Vermont. And they’ve had to contend with the former president’s efforts to play kingmaker: Trump encouraged Walker to run in Georgia and helped make J.D. Vance and Mehmet Oz the Republican nominees in Ohio and Pennsylvania."
"In Pennsylvania, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman continues to lead GOP nominee Mehmet Oz in polling, fundraising and favorability, despite taking more than two months off the trail following a life-threatening stroke in May. Oz secured the nomination only after a primary race recount, which forced the TV doctor to spend time shoring up relationships with disenchanted party activists," the report continued. "Still, Senate Republicans insist those races will come back toward the GOP. NRSC Chair Rick Scott (R-Fla.) defended the quality of GOP candidates even as he acknowledged some have 'got a lot of work to do catching up on the fundraising.'"
You can read more here.
Leave a Comment
Related Post