With primaries officially wrapping up this week, we are entering the red zone of a midterm election that will determine nothing short of the future direction of this country. Democrats taking a majority of either chamber of Congress should put enough of a check on Donald Trump's autocratic impulses to pull the republic back from the brink.
Signs are positive that Democrats can and will achieve that goal, with an outside chance that they could actually take both chambers. Here's a brief summation of positive things working in Democrats’ favor: 1) the GOP's one major legislative achievement, their tax giveaway to the rich, has flopped with voters; 2) Democratic enthusiasm has consistently proven to be through the roof in every special election; 3) Democrats and independents are showing a notable interest in "corruption" as a leading campaign issue and have consistently indicated they will vote for someone who vows to put a check on Trump; 4) Republicans have done nothing but enable Trump—not a single one of them at this point can claim that keeping the GOP in power will curb Trump's radical behavior/policies; 5) Trump's approval ratings continue to be solidly underwater; 6) historically, the president's party takes a pretty good beating in the midterms, especially when they have unified control of government (think 2010, which delivered a solid House majority to the GOP after Democrats controlled both chambers for the first two years of Obama's presidency.
Not to be underestimated in the Democratic advantage is the fact that Trump doesn't even realize he's a drag on the party—or he can't admit it. That means he will absolutely make certain that every race is about him and him only, even as vulnerable Republicans desperately try to steer clear of any Trump talk. The AP writes:
Despite those headwinds, Trump is betting on himself this fall. He’s thrust himself into the center of the campaign and believes he can ramp up turnout among his ardent supporters and offset a wave of Democratic enthusiasm. Aides say he’ll spend much of the fall holding rallies in swing states. [...]
Trump’s turbulent summer appears to have put many moderates and independents out of reach for Republican candidates, according to GOP officials. One internal GOP poll obtained by The Associated Press showed Trump’s approval rating among independents in congressional battleground districts dropped 10 points between June and August.
Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats in the House and Democratic challengers have already outraised their GOP opponents in nearly 60 races. But none of us can take anything for granted.
Let's do this! Can you give just $3 to help push Democrats over the top in the House this fall?