President Donald Trump is increasingly pursuing unpopular goals that could drag down Republicans in the midterms, GOP senators reportedly fear. An anonymous Republican senator told The Hill that this is the perception in the room. Outgoing Sen.
Thom Tillis, meanwhile, said the president’s push for a nearly $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ to reward his allies was a ‘yoke’ weighing down the Republicans. ‘I want this yoke off of the members who are up for election in November because there’s no way to explain it, no way to explain it whatsoever,’ Tillis said. ‘This is going to lend credibility to the Democrats hanging this on the necks of Republicans who are up in November,’ he added. ‘Why we’re not taking this off the table — it’s not helping the president’s popularity; it’s not helping our candidates who are up for reelection. Nothing good is coming from this.’ The Trump administration has insisted the proposed fund is dead, though Democratic critics say that guarantee is on ‘laughable flimsy’ legal foundation. Republican senators are also worried about the potentially demoralizing impact of the president’s repeated demands to pass the SAVE America Act, a highly restrictive new package of voter ID requirements, which has so far failed to pass out of the GOP-controlled Congress.
The president’s approval rating is hovering around record lows, while the Iran war has remained highly unpopular. Making matters worse, the president has given fodder to Democrats by openly dismissing war-related affordability concerns. Average gas prices remain nearly a dollar above their pre-war levels, adding further political headwinds to a midterm race where Democrats are already expected to retake the House.
The president has also often feuded with Republican members themselves, endorsing multiple primary challengers against sitting GOP senators, including in Texas. In that state, Democrats could be heading to a historic and unlikely Senate victory if James Talarico can continue his strong showing. ‘This is the best looking polling for democrats in the Senate race since really the 20th century,’ CNN polling guru Harry Enten said on air on Monday, pointing to data showing Talarico leading scandal-riven rival Ken Paxton by three points and attracting major support from independents.
