GOP tries to hope the First Chamber with convention

Republicans are looking to their national convention to encourage their most vulnerable First Chamber efforts and help preserve their growing majority in the House.

May President TrumpDonald John TrumpTwo ‘The Apprentice’ Producers Help at Republican National Convention Some 70,000 lives could be saved in the near future if people wear masks: Trump researchers issue disaster declaration for California as wildfire rages MAYThe question numbers that have plummeted in recent months and the political fortunes of several GOP Senate officials, who follow for the most part, are Republicans’ opinion that any post-convention bump for the president should hurt their senators. party will also step down as they move to the crucial final stretch of the 2020 election cycle.

“Obviously it’s a Trump-centric convention, but if the party proposes something that could freeze national talks, yes, the senators will get a lot,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican adviser and former Senate Majority Leader campaign adviser. Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell rips Democrats for passing ‘piece of Post Bill’, ‘ignoring urgent needs’ of ‘American House passes’ B bill to encourage Post Service House to approve B for Postal Service in rare Saturday vote MORE (R-Ky.). “It will not be just for Trump. It will help all Republicans. ”

The convention comes at a particularly crucial moment for the majority of the GOP’s First Chamber. Republican incumbents in several states are fighting for their political lives, while Democrats began to expand their election campaign in states that were previously not a bit of a concern for the GOP.

Republicans currently have a 53-47 lead in the House of Representatives. As former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHouse passes B bill to boost Postal Service Trump seeks to overcome erosive support among women Here are the states where Kanye West is on the ballot MORE wins the White House in November, Democrats will need a net gain of three seats to gain control of the chamber. They will need four seats with GOP holdings net if Trump wins a second term.

With the current map of the First Chamber, a Democratic majority now appears within reach.

In Arizona, Colorado, Maine and North Carolina, Republican senators kick or run neck and neck with their Democratic challengers. Meanwhile, seats in GOP in Georgia, Iowa and Montana have come into play in recent months.

The GOP also hopes to get a Senate citation back in Alabama held by Democrat Doug Jones, who won a 2017 special election.

Treated successfully, Jennings said, the convention could give Republicans an opportunity not only to drive their political base, but to create high-profile candidates for voters who are still on the fence about GOP support.

“Conventions provide the opportunity for the whole party to make voters generally feel better about the direction the party in general would take the country,” Jennings said. “From the perspective that it’s a party-marketing exercise, yes, I think if it’s done successfully through Trump’s operation, it’s going to help all Republicans. In that particular case, an increasing tide would lift all boats. ”

But some Republicans expressed skepticism about the convention’s ability to drastically change its party’s political status, especially in down-ballot matches.

The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the event into a largely virtual convention, increasing the chance of technical hiccups. And some Republicans are concerned that the convention is heavily focused on the culture wars that Trump has long placed at the center of his political market instead of concentrating on more concrete priorities such as the economy as a second-term policy agenda.

Indeed, the list of speakers of the Republican convention is expected to include a handful of conservative figures, including a few from St. Louis. Louis, who fired in June in protest against Black Lives Matter and a former Kentucky Catholic high school student who followed into controversy last year. an interaction with a Native American protester at the Lincoln Memorial in DC

“Look, do we want to make this thing about policy and not about the president? Of course, ”said one veteran operative. “But I think in part, you have to accept that it’s the Trump show.”

Some Republicans, however, said the convention’s virtual enactment could be a boon for introductory senators, allowing them to spend valuable time in their home states instead of cuddling party members away from their constituencies.

“Senate Republicans in challenging races do not have to leave their states and their campaign for several days in a centralized, remote location,” said David Polyansky, a Republican adviser and former Senate chief of staff. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward Cruz Why should our allies allow an enemy like Iran again? Christie rips ‘backstabber’ Kasich on encouraging Biden: ‘He’s exhausted’ Postmaster general says he pauses changes ‘until after the election’ MAY (R-Texas). “By the way, this virtual convention allows them to receive 60,000-foot coverage of air coverage while benefiting from talking directly to voters at home. I think it’s actually an unintended gain.”

Trump will almost certainly be the main communicator of the Republican agenda at the convention, Polyansky said. But he added that many of the president’s achievements – for example the 2017 Tax Reduction and Jobs Act – would not have been possible without a GOP-controlled Senate, and that it would be prudent to highlight that fact.

“Yes, there are certainly positive executive orders – things that the president himself will understandably point to as singular, solo successes,” Polyansky said. “But in several cases, the success we’ve seen over the years, from historic tax cuts to desperately needed pandemic support, has really taken its toll on Senate Republicans. And I think this is a great opportunity for them to have the spotlight as well. ”

Republicans get one advantage in that their convention comes after the Democratic convention, and give one last word this month conventions to the GOP.

Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the GOP will now have the opportunity to sharpen its counter-argument against Democratic control in Washington.

“Last week was a window into the socialist nightmare that would have existed if Democrats captured the White House and Senate this fall,” Hunt said. “It is important that Republicans continue to present to voters what is at stake if we allow the most extreme voices in their party to take control at a time when our nation can afford it the least.”