Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) warned that Republicans could face a severe setback in this year’s midterm elections, likening the potential outcome to the GOP’s 2006 losses under President George W. Bush, when the party lost control of both the House and the Senate.
Daines, who led the Senate Republican campaign arm in the past, said on Tuesday that current political dynamics could produce a result “like 2006,” adding: “And 2006 was really bad for Republicans.”
He emphasized the need for Republican candidates and party operatives to take the threat seriously and work to shore up turnout and campaign messaging ahead of November. Daines’s comments reflect growing concern among some GOP lawmakers that a combination of economic anxiety, public dissatisfaction with Washington and high-profile controversies could motivate Democratic voters and independent-leaning voters to swing against Republican candidates.
Republican strategists are weighing where to focus resources and which incumbents might be most vulnerable as midterm campaigns ramp up. Daines’s comparison to 2006 underscores the stakes in several competitive Senate and House races across battleground states.
Source: thehill.com
