Democrats see an opportunity to tie the president to issues their voters care about.
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President Donald Trump’s overall job approval ratings might be plummeting, but Republican voters adore the president and no message resonates better in GOP primaries than loyalty pledges to him and his agenda, motivating Republican candidates for Congress to hug Trump as tightly as possible.
Indeed, securing Trump’s endorsement remains the single most effective message in Republican primaries, a data-driven strategy reaffirmed by the results in key GOP nominating contests just this month: In Indiana, a collection of candidates backed by the president ousted incumbent state senators in an intraparty conflict over redistricting; in Kentucky, Rep. Andy Barr emerged as the undisputed frontrunner in Tuesday’s three-way contest immediately upon receiving Trump’s “complete and total endorsement;” and on Saturday in Louisiana, Sen. Bill Cassidy was defeated for renomination after the commander in chief endorsed a challenger.
