The following Politico excerpt tells you everything you need to know about what an asset Donald Trump will be for Republicans engaged in tough re-election bids this year:
Stuck in the middle is Ohio Congressman Steve Stivers, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who in an interview for the latest episode of POLITICO’s Off Message podcast could not name a single battleground district where he’d send Trump, despite the president’s promise earlier this month to campaign for Republicans four or five days a week into the fall.
Stivers’ main arguments for Republicans staying in power amount to two things: the economy and gerrymandering.
“I think it starts with the congressional lines,” Stivers said, pointing to the successful gerrymandering after 2010. Later, asked whether that validates Democrats’ argument that Republicans have tilted elections to their advantage, Stivers shrugged off the criticism: “You can say that, but the people elected them.”
Well, thanks for that candor.
On Monday, GOP Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey became the 20th Republican to choose retirement over running for higher office in this climate, vacating the 33rd open seat House Republicans will have to defend. The GOP will now be defending nearly twice as many open seats in the House as Democrats will be. Overall, Democrats need to flip 24 seats in order to take control of the lower chamber, and every new retirement nudges the needle further in the direction of a Democratic takeover.
If you want to help stoke the fear Republicans already feel, please give $3 to this slate of Daily Kos-endorsed candidates.
The NRCC wouldn’t share its polling on how voters in battleground districts view Trump. But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee gladly shared some of its own: In the 23 districts that Hillary Clinton won but are represented by Republican members of Congress, Trump averages a 37 percent approval rating; in the 12 open districts currently held by Republicans, Trump averages a 41 percent approval rating; and in the over 60 other districts Democrats are trying to make competitive, Trump also averages a 41 percent approval rating.
It’s not a topic that the Republicans running are eager to discuss.
An aide to Rep. Barbara Comstock, who represents D.C. suburbs in Virginia, didn’t respond to the question of whether she’d want Trump to campaign for her.
Rep. John Faso, from the Hudson Valley of New York, punted questions to an aide who said he was too busy to talk, then didn’t respond to questions about Trump.
An aide to south Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo said he also happened to be too busy to discuss Trump, but pointed out that the congressman has appeared with Trump and with Barack Obama previously.
Run!