The GOP had what appeared to be a sizable wall built up to blunt any gains made by the Democrats in the upcoming midterm election, but President Donald Trump's astonishing decline has thrown all of that work into jeopardy, according to one political expert.
The GOP is approaching the midterm elections with a sizable cash advantage over the Democrats, something that veteran political analyst Ron Brownstein, a Bloomberg opinion columnist, argued on a new episode of "Bulwark Takes" with host Bill Kristol could have been used to help stem the rising Democratic tide. However, Brownstein noted that there is one, albeit historic, problem the GOP faces — Trump's cratering popularity numbers, especially among key constituencies within his base.
"The key fundamental is that Donald Trump's approval is so low," Brownstein said. "When you talk about the wave, the other sign of the wave is really Trump and turnout vs. money and map, because Trump's approval rating is so low and you have such strong disapproval. That's important. Half of voters say they strongly disapprove of Trump, and that, historically, has been a real marker of turnout."
Brownstein noted that there are signs of trouble ahead for Republicans. For instance, he said there are a bevy of close races in states like Ohio and Iowa, which wouldn't be the case if Trump's approval ratings were higher. He said this could be a sign that the Democratic wave will be "bigger" and "broader" than it was in 2018.
"The money doesn't seem to be mattering as much as Republicans had hoped," Brownstein said.
"Republicans are stacking bricks, but the wave is growing so high that you cannot fully contain it," he added.
Ron Brownstein: Trump’s Collapse Is Unlike Anything We’ve Seen in Decades | Bulwark on Sunday by The Bulwark
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