Trump feels the pressure as Democrats triumph again

Republicans fear president is losing support in the suburbs, seen as pivotal in 2020 race for White House

DONALD TRUMP suffered his third electoral setback in a matter of weeks after John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, was re-elected governor of Louisiana.

Mr Edwards secured his place as the lone Democrat governor in the Deep South despite intense campaigning from the US president, who visited the state on several occasions.

The Republican defeat came within days of the party losing the gubernatorial race in Kentucky where Matt Bevin, the incumbent, was ousted by Democrat Andy Beshear by a waferthin margin of just over 5,000 votes.

Republicans also lost the Virginia legislature, leaving the Democrats in full control of the state government for the first time in a generation.

The results in Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia are likely to alarm Republican strategists, suggesting that Mr Trump is losing support in the suburbs, which are seen as pivotal in next November’s presidential election.

A similar trend was noticed in other local elections, including on the outskirts of Philadelphia in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.

In Louisiana, Mr Trump had thrown his full weight behind Eddie Rispone, a businessman who campaigned on the president’s record in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump made little secret of the national importance of the race as he appealed to Louisiana’s voters for support last week. “You’ve got to give me a big win, OK?” he told a rally.

But voters stayed loyal to Mr Edwards, a moderate Democrat, who distanced himself from its progressive wing as he sought re-election.

Despite the Republicans’ defeat in the election, few believe Mr Trump is in danger of losing the state, which he won by 20 points in 2016.

The results capped a difficult week for the president with fresh allegations of misconduct emerging from the impeachment hearings in Congress.

Democrats claim Mr Trump abused his power by putting pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, to open an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, the former vice president and Mr Trump’s potential 2020 opponent.

Democrats say the testimony from State Department officials was damning, while Republicans have sought to play down their significance or dismiss it as part of an “establishment coup”.

Polls suggest voters remain split on whether he should be impeached.

A Reuters/ipsos poll on Thursday and Friday showed 44 per cent supported Mr Trump’s impeachment – 1 per cent down on the previous week, while 40 per cent opposed his removal.

Meanwhile, last week’s big winner in the race to be the Democrat candidate next November was Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. A CNN poll put him nine points clear in Iowa, the first state to pick a candidate when the Democrat caucus meets on Feb 3.

With Mr Biden’s campaign faltering, he is emerging as moderates’ best hope of heading off Elizabeth Warren, the Left-wing Massachusetts senator.