A political "prairie fire" has erupted in the midwest for Republican Senators who fear President Donald Trump is only fueling the flames, Politico reported Sunday.
Republicans told Politico they're deeply concerned Democrats will regain control of the Senate in November as Trump policy wallops farmers and promotes his personal brand.
“He’s in serious trouble in farm country,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told Politico. “He being Trump — and Trump is us. I’m not very optimistic.”
The midwest is crucial territory for Democrats seeking to flip Republican, Politico noted. If they hold Michigan and claim Ohio and Iowa, Democrats will almost certainly reign in the Senate for Trump's last two years in office.
And Trump has become a tough sell in those states as tariffs mount, gas prices spike and the president allows for imported beef.
Adam Hamilton, a pastor-turned-Democratic nominee running against Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), told Politico that people in Kansas are feeling desperate.
“What I’m hearing when I go across the state is people saying — and these are Republicans, not Democrats — we can’t have six more years of this, or even two more years of this," Hamilton said.
Josh Turek, the Democratic state lawmaker running against Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) reported a similar state of affairs in Iowa.,
“We’re going through a second farm crisis right now, Farmageddon," said Turek.
Even as these Democrats capitalize on Trump's cratering popularity among struggling Americans, Trump hoards campaign cash and uses his position of power to enjoy himself, Politico reported.
"When Trump is not living the life of a 12-year-old boy — hosting UFC fights on the White House lawn and watching Indy cars go vroom through downtown D.C. — he’s fixated on naming things after himself," the report states.
"It’s all so small. Yet it’s no laughing matter when the American voter is paying $4 for a gallon of regular."