Democrats running in the reddest districts on this cycle’s map are warning their party not to blow a rare pickup opportunity by turning the midterms into a referendum on President Donald Trump.
The party is positioned to flip the House in November, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee officially targeting 25 seats. But candidates in some GOP districts say the national message leans too hard on attacking the president, alienating the exact voters they need to win over.
“If we make this election about President Trump in my district and in districts like this around the country, we’re going to lose,” said Andrew Sneed, who is challenging Republican Rep. Dale Strong in an R+10 Alabama district.
Don Coover, a Kansas farmer and veterinarian challenging GOP Rep. Derek Schmidt in a deep-red district, said his party has to dial back the national rhetoric if it wants to compete in Trump-friendly places.
“We need to do a hell of a lot better,” Coover said. “Arguing about
The warnings come as Trump’s approval ratings have sunk, driven by dissatisfaction with the cost of living and the Iran war. Some Democrats say banking on those numbers holding through November is a mistake.
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“It’s less about him than the fact that he’s not paying attention to the issue of affordability,” Suozzi said. “It’s not about Trump. It’s not about Trump derangement syndrome, and it’s not about his sometimes interesting behavior. It’s about policies that affect peoples’ lives.”
Phil Gardner, a senior adviser for Blue Dog Action Fund, offered a similar warning: Trump’s numbers could rebound, and the party can’t afford to be driven by the news cycle or its most vocal activists.
“If we’re going to win in these redder, rural areas that in a 50-50 year wouldn’t be on the map for almost any Democrat, we have to stick to a plan,” Gardner said.
Expanding the map
The DCCC defended its agenda, as well as its increased investment in Trump-won districts.
“The DCCC is reaching rural communities at higher levels than ever before because voters deserve a real choice and representatives who will actually be a voice for them in Washington,” said Bridget Gonzalez, DCCC spokesperson. “Our candidates have strong, community-rooted campaigns and are putting in the work to earn rural voters’ trust and support.”
However, some Democrats make the argument for avoiding a national message and focusing on their own approach.
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“I never really thought much of the party’s messaging since I had my own,” Golden said. “I was never very pressed to go ask our leaders, ‘what is our message?’”
Rep. Laura Gillen (N.Y.), a vulnerable Democrat targeted by House Republicans’ campaign arm this cycle, said she is focused on touting her bipartisan work across the aisle, keeping Trump’s name at bay.
“My messaging has been focused on what I am doing to try and make life more affordable,” Gillen said. “I ran for Congress and said I’d work with anyone from any party to get things done.”
GOP response
Republicans, meanwhile, are unified in going all in on Trump, despite his sagging economic numbers and the unpopularity of the Iran war.
The Republican National Committee is working closely with the White House political team to coordinate a campaign strategy and best pick where the president should campaign.
After several states’ redistricting, the House Republicans’ campaign arm is now targeting 29 vulnerable Democrats, including 23 incumbents who represent districts won by Trump.
Kiersten Pels, RNC spokesperson, accused Democrats of making “hatred of President Trump their entire identity.”
“Voters want secure borders, lower prices, safer communities, and a strong economy, not Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Pels said in a statement. “Americans are seeing through the Democrats’ tired strategy of attacking and vilifying President Trump and his supporters.”