President Donald Trump promised that the Republican midterm convention in September will be “historic.” But GOP candidates in swing states aren’t publicly rushing to attend.
Of the 28 Republican candidates that POLITICO reached out to, only two provided an on the record response. The list includes gubernatorial candidates, senators, members of Congress and their challengers in contested races.
“If someone knows how to rally support and turn out the vote, it's President Trump. I look forward to seeing what he announces,” Rep. Mike Rogers, who is vying for the Republican nomination for Senate in Michigan, said in a statement before Trump officially announced the event.
Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) campaign said it doesn’t disclose his schedule.
Deciding whether to attend September’s unconventional convention in Dallas – which Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has called “Trumpapalooza” – could be a gamble for those candidates in competitive districts where the president’s polling is underwater.
For a gubernatorial candidate like Rep. Andy Biggs (R), who is trying to beat an incumbent Democratic governor in a swing state, showing up in Dallas may not fare well, said former Sen. Jeff Flake (R) of Arizona.
“The state party has to be the cheerleader, obviously—but the candidates themselves, like Andy Biggs, who is likely to be the Republican nominee, I can't see him wanting to go and tie himself to the president at that stage, right before early voting starts,” Flake said.
Trump’s national approval rating is below 40 percent and the war with Iran is escalating, which could raise gas prices at a moment when voters are focused on affordability.
“I think guys who are on the fence, there’s no reason to go,” said one GOP donor granted anonymity to discuss the intraparty dynamics. “The less you’re associated with Trump, the better.”
There is also the opportunity cost of flying to Texas in September while your opponent campaigns in state, Flake said. And, the rhetoric at the convention may be challenging for some candidates.
“It’s really going to be the Trump show, and he's likely to talk about 2020 and election conspiracies and that just doesn't play well in Arizona,” Flake said. “It's not something that statewide candidates in Arizona want to talk about at that stage. That's when they're wanting to talk about what they're going to deliver to Arizona or pointing out foibles of the Democrats or whatever else, and it makes it difficult to do that if they're in Dallas tethered to the president.”
A Biggs campaign spokesperson said they are focused on the July 21 primary and “haven't made any post-primary travel plans yet.”
A RNC official said the “whole theory for the midterms” is that running with Trump is helpful, describing the president as an asset.
“You’re not seeing Republicans shy away from Trump in the same way you saw maybe in 2018 and you’re seeing a lot more partnership with the White House and political team,” said the official granted anonymity to discuss the committee’s thinking. “Even if a candidate doesn’t show up to the midterm convention, vulnerable Republicans need the president to turn out the vote with the base.”
So far, Trump and the RNC have said little about the convention beyond its date and location. It is unclear whether invitations to campaigns have been sent.
A RNC spokesperson said the state parties are in charge of sending the invitations. The state parties also get to decide how to use the money raised from the event. GOP state parties began last weekreleasing some of the first concrete information about attending– The Denton County Republican Party outside of Dallas offers attendees a chance to be “honorary delegates” for $20,000 and California offers attendees a “golden VIP member” ticket for $250,000.
Whether candidates and lawmakers participate, they are going to have to comment on it, argued Matthew Bartlett, Republican strategist and former Trump appointee to the State Department in the first administration
“The one thing it probably will do is dominate news coverage, and that is both on a national level, and we are seeing so many of these races, even House races becoming nationalized. So it's going to be very difficult to try to articulate a message when this big looming convention is happening,” he said.
Corporations also have to weigh whether it’s worth getting involved, considering the Democratic National Committee isn’t throwing a similar event – to balance donations to each party – and that it was announced less than three months out.
“That close to the election, from a corporation standpoint, then you have to explain to the Democrats” why you participated, the GOP donor said.
A second GOP donor, also granted anonymity to discuss intraparty dynamics, questioned if the president plans to put the over $350 million in the MAGA Inc. PAC into the convention, especially if companies don’t get involved.
“Maybe this is the answer to the question of where’s all the MAGA Inc money going?” the person said.
from White House https://ift.tt/DXQvYfT
https://ift.tt/XkB3sJo
0 Comments