GOP views midterms with 2020 focus
Despite losing the House, Republicans remain confident in a re-election bid for President Trump in 2020, pointing to their party’s own successes in the midterms.
“There’s no denying that Democrats had success in the midterms,” Republican political consultant Eric Fehrnstrom told the Herald. “But, there’s also enough that happened on the map that Trump can point to as support for him and his agenda.”
The focus on 2020 became an immediate talking point as a few key suburban areas that Trump won in 2016 turned blue. Still, Republicans haven’t appeared to waver.
Yesterday, on Boston Herald Radio’s Adriana Cohen Show, Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager disputed the notion of a blue wave in the midterms.
“When you look at the success that this administration has had in picking up seats in the U.S. Senate, it’s the first time since the Kennedy administration that an incumbent president has picked up Senate seats in his first midterm election,” Lewandowski said. “So, that success that obviously goes back some 50 or 60 years, and it’s only, I think the third or fourth time in the history of the Republican Party where an incumbent president has picked up seats in the midterm election in the U.S. Senate.”
GOP strategist Matt Robbins compared Trump’s presidency to “Godzilla,” adding that “You can’t flame-throw and you can’t destroy him. The more weapons you use on him, the stronger he gets.”
He also added that Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, expected to resume her former position as House speaker, is the GOP’s “secret weapon ... She’s the best gift that keeps on giving.”
Fehrnstrom said despite losing ground, Trump won back some key areas that would help his 2020 campaign. He insists either way, the race will come down to how well the economy is doing.
“I think going into the midterms, Democrats were hoping to put a stake through the heart, and that did not happen,” Fehrnstrom said. “Trump’s strong suit is the economy, and if it stays the same, that’s going to be a strong case for re-election.”
But Phil Johnston, the former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said Trump lost important battleground terrain that’s needed to win the 2020 election. He added that the president won some battleground states by small margins.
“The results indicate the Democrats have made a strong comeback in many areas that we lost in 2016,” Johnston said. “What’s clear is that Trump hasn’t expanded his vote in the Midwest. The 2020 election should be one in which Democrats take control.”