A growing number of GOP operatives and donors are concerned that President Trump is letting his reelection chances slip away and are suggesting that the party shift its focus towards protecting seats in Congress, NBC News reports.
"Vulnerable GOP candidates are currently tethered to an unpopular president, fighting for survival against a potential blue wave after Trump’s widely panned performance in the first debate, his coronavirus diagnosis and his erratic behavior on economic stimulus talks," NBC's Sahil Kapur writes.
Kapur cites recent polling showing Joe Biden to be leading Trump by at least 10 points, adding that across the country, "Trump is hemorrhaging support among seniors and faces widespread defections among white college graduates, particularly women."
Speaking to NBC, Republican strategist Ken Spain agrees that the situation is dire.
“The president has had possibly the worst two-week stretch that a candidate could have going into the final month of an election," he said.
“In 2016, the president was a buoy. In 2020 he’s more of an anchor. There’s no question there are going to be losses down the ballot,” Spain continued. “Six months ago, Republicans were hoping that we would be talking about Senate races in Colorado, Arizona and Maine. Instead there’s concern about the potential outcomes in states like South Carolina, Georgia and Kansas.”
Read the full article over at NBC News.