Trump Will Likely Be The GOP Nominee – Can Democrats Take Back The House?
Donald Trump has been at the top of the polls, increasing his lead almost since the moment he announced his presidential campaign. While Republican Party leaders try to figure out how to thwart him at the convention – an unlikely outcome – should Democrats use his nearly inevitable prospects of being the GOP nominee to win the 30 seats currently held by Republicans that are needed to take back the House?
A report in Politico Monday morning says several Democratic and Republican strategists think a Trump nomination could help Democrats do just that.
“Donald Trump is on the verge of two things once thought to be impossible: winning the Republican presidential nomination, and putting Republicans’ historically large House majority in danger,” Politico reports, noting, also, that the “respected Cook Political Report downgraded Republicans’ chances in 10 districts Friday.”
“I believe the House could be in play if Donald Trump is the nominee,â€Â Alixandria Lapp, the head of the “Democrats’ flagship House super PAC,” the House Majority PAC, and a “longtime House strategist” told Politico.
Democrats aren’t the only ones who think so.
“The idea that Trump is going to help with federal races is like putting lipstick on a pig,†said Jason Roe, a California-based Republican strategist and a former spokesman for Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. “To deal with that, most people with a brain are cutting and running, redirecting resources from the presidential to keeping control of Senate and House.â€
Another GOP strategist, whom Politico describes as a “worried Republican consultant,” said, “I think Trump makes every district tougher and every state tougher for a Republican.”
And a “top GOP strategist” told the news outlet, “I think there are lots of major donors who may have been budgeting to play in presidential who are now saying we need to make sure we keep the House and the Senate.”
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