Two-thirds of Republican candidates in competitive US House and Senate races have broken with Donald Trump on policy or played down ties to him, a Reuters review found, revealing a widespread effort to distance themselves from the president as his unpopularity threatens the party’s hold on Congress.
The review of voting records, public statements and campaign materials found candidates in 41 of 62 competitive congressional races seeking some distance from Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The candidates have largely criticized or diverged from Trump on individual issues rather than repudiated his broader agenda. The findings suggest an effort to attract independent voters while avoiding a direct break with their party leader.
Oh, he’s going to be bigly mad. Doesn’t matter if they win or lose. If they win, he’ll still be all resentful and butthurt. If they lose, he’ll say it was because they were not sufficiently loyal to him.