Unpopular Biden sticks close to home as midterm campaigns enter final two weeks
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd of approximately 10,000 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del., on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Melina Maraire/The Washington Post)
Democrats are on track to pick up six Senate seats and two House seats, making it possible for the party to pass a tax bill before the end of the year, an aide to President Trump predicted Friday.
The aide also predicted that Republicans, who are currently in control of the House, would be vulnerable in the midterms.
Senate Republicans are expected to focus on protecting “their seats and making sure they can actually win seats,” and Democrats need to focus on defending the 22 Democratic seats they’ve flipped in the last two election cycles.
“They’re going to be very focused on protecting their seats and making sure they can actually win seats,” the aide said, adding that “Republicans are the real target” because of the party’s problems dealing with the special counsel investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
With Republicans controlling the Senate, the legislative branch, and the White House, the White House has little to worry about. But with Democratic gains in the House of Representatives, the president’s fate is up in the air — at least as long as he has a Republican-controlled Congress.
Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, according to the Cook Political Report. The GOP’s House majority is 52-48.
Trump is deeply unpopular among Democrats, who view him as a president who has given them nothing in return for his support. But Republicans have the president’s back, and their voters will be with them, if only for the midterm elections.
“If Donald Trump loses any of these races, he will be the loser where it all goes down,” said Tim Miller, a longtime GOP strategist. “The more he fights back and keeps his base happy, the less chance he has of losing.”