House Republican candidates are being advised not to say Trump’s name during the campaign as a matter of survival.
The man in charge of the House GOP’s campaign strategy has been doling out advice to Republican candidates and incumbents in key battleground races as they prepare for the general election: Don’t be distracted by Donald Trump on the campaign trail, and instead focus on the issues Republicans believe will be most salient to voters in the midterms.
The guidance from Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, relayed by three GOP sources familiar with the internal conversations, reflects a tacit acknowledgment among Republican leaders that the former president could knock the GOP’s midterm messaging off course as they seek to recapture the House majority this fall. It also represents a shift from the strategy deployed in many Republican primaries, where embracing Trump — or at least not alienating him and his base — was seen as essential to survival.
Trump is so toxic that House Republican candidates are now being advised not to say his name on the campaign trail. Obviously, House Republicans have focus groups or internal polling that show Trump hurting House Republican candidates with voters.
Donald Trump has already trashed Republican hopes of winning back the Senate majority, and if he would announce his presidential campaign before the midterm election, he could cost Republicans the House too.
Republicans are caught in a no-win situation of their own making. The GOP allowed Trump to take over their party, and Republican candidates can’t win primaries without his blessing, but the failed former president’s name is damaging that it can’t be uttered in general elections.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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