As President Joe Biden continues to struggle with low approval ratings, Republicans have been salivating at the prospect of winning back the Senate and House majorities in November. But Donald Trump’s plan to announce his 2024 presidential campaign this summer throws a wrench into the GOP strategy and they are panic is starting to set in.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) want the 2022 midterms to be a referendum on President Biden and his handling of inflation and the economy. But if Trump announces his plans to run for president again before November, it will turn the midterms into a referendum on Trump instead of Biden.
Political experts say Trump will also provide a shot of energy and motivation to a dispirited Democratic base that right now feels less enthusiastic than Republicans about voting in the midterms.
“Midterm elections tend to be referenda on the governing party and given President Biden’s rock-bottom job approval rating, anything that detracts from a focus on the Biden administration and its many failures weakens the Republicans’ ability to take control of Congress,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres said, according to The Hill.
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Ayres added that Republican voters are significantly more motivated than Democrats to vote given liberal disappointment over the Biden agenda.
Former GOP Rep. Jim Walsh (R) said a Trump 2024 announcement could hurt Republican candidates in competitive races.
“I think it causes problems for Republicans. If Trump were to announce this summer, I think it definitely causes problems for Republicans,” he said.
Walsh said if Trump launches his campaign, “it’s not going to bring Republicans out this election but what it may do is motivate Democrats.”
As noted by The Hill, however, Trump is now motivated to announce a bid as polls show he is losing popular support amid the damaging revelations from the House select Jan. 6 committee’s hearings. And that is making Republicans anxious.
