The Republican Party is Quietly Preparing to Concede Donald Trump’s Defeat

GOP’s ‘Break Glass’ Emergency Strategy Aims to Salvage Congressional Races

GOP strategists are working on a plan in which the party would effectively concede presidential nominee Donald Trump’s defeat, and instead focus on trying to preserve its majorities in the House and Senate. 

The strategy involves GOP congressional candidates distancing themselves from Trump as much as possible and casting themselves as a needed check on Democrat Hillary Clinton’s inevitable presidency. The strategy could go into full effect as early as September. 

Politico reports that groups including Karl Rove’s influential Crossroads PAC and the National Republican Congressional Committee have already begun testing the plan, known as the “break glass in case of emergency” strategy. Polls show more than half of the electorate is now convinced Clinton will be the next president. 

“That’s getting close to the point where we would start recommending our candidates pursue more of a midterm strategy and treat Clinton like a de facto incumbent,” prominent GOP pollster Chris Wilson told Politico. “Just the fact that we’re considering this counsel, is another sign of how sadly strange this cycle is.”

Earlier this week, FiveThirtyEight reported that Trump appears to be dragging down GOP candidates in the eight states with competitive Senate races. Prior to the conventions, Republican Senate candidates were up by an average of more than 1 percentage point in those states, but they are now down by an average of more than 1 percentage point. 

“Democrats now lead in enough states to take back the Senate — so long as Clinton holds on to her large lead,” FiveThirtyEight reported. “Of course, many of these races are close, and there’s plenty of time before Election Day. The fight for the Senate isn’t over by a long shot.”