Mediaboss Marketing

History and polling may be on Republicans' side as they try to break Democrats' unified control of Washington, but the 2022 midterm cycle is not a fait accompli, according to strategists from both parties.

In particular, some Democrats are hoping to flip the script on Republican "Dems in disarray" attacks as intra-GOP flaps, so far overshadowed by the Russia-Ukraine war, threaten to create more drama.

BIDEN GEARS UP FOR MIDTERM ELECTIONS AS DEMOCRATS FEAR FOR MAJORITIES

Republicans must stop squabbling among themselves, according to GOP strategist Cesar Conda.

The first year of President Joe Biden's administration was defined by Democratic quarrels over his sprawling list of social welfare and climate priorities. And similar forces are at play within Republican politics, Conda told the Washington Examiner. One example is the Republican National Committee's censure of Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois over their House Jan. 6 panel membership, he cited.

"Republicans need unity, or at least the perception of unity, going into the November elections," Conda said.

The RNC censure, which included language describing Jan. 6 protests "as legitimate political discourse," was criticized by the likes of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who is RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel's uncle. The committee later clarified the censure clearly differentiated between the violent and peaceful protesters.

Another example is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's complaints regarding National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott's 11-point "Rescue America" proposal. The Florida senator's pitch has been panned as a potential tax hike.

We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare after five years," McConnell said. "That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda."

Democrats such as former consultant Christopher Hahn concurred that Republican disagreement could "change the math" Nov. 8.

"There are many primaries between traditional and Trump Republicans," the Aggressive Progressive podcast host said of onetime President Donald Trump. "In some states, there are already plans to mount third-party campaigns to thwart candidates who traditional Republicans view as a threat to democracy itself."

He added that "the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and Trumpists winning primaries are the GOPs biggest obstacles to retaking the Senate."

Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin is a role model for managing the pro- and anti-Trump factions of the party, according to former GOP-turned-independent analyst Dan Schnur.

"The only thing that can keep Republicans from winning back their majorities is Republicans," he said of hard-line GOP lawmakers. "Distancing themselves from Trump might put some Republican candidates in an awkward position with their base, but sticking too closely to him could hurt them in November."

Despite the discord, Republicans have a roughly 4-percentage-point average advantage over Democrats on a generic congressional ballot. A Morning Consult tracking poll published last week found that the GOP had a 1-point edge over Democrats when respondents were asked the same question, 42% to 43%. That is a 3-point improvement compared to last September, when Democrats had 44% support to Republicans' 40%.

The main concern in this month's Morning Consult poll was the economy, incorporating taxes, spending, jobs, unemployment, and wages. Republican voters were slightly more enthusiastic than their Democratic counterparts, and the GOP had eroded Democrats' September 27-point lead among Hispanics. Democrats now only have a 10-point margin of victory with the demographic.

Republicans should not assume disaffected Democrats and independents will automatically swing toward the GOP, according to Conda. Instead, Republicans should present "commonsense" solutions to crime, education, immigration, and inflation problems, he contended. That contradicts McConnell, who would prefer not to provide details until after the contests.

Rather, Conda advocated a former House Speaker Newt Gingrich-esque "Contract with America 2.0" because Democrats' "woke politics and inattention to crime and education" are driving away Hispanics and Asian Americans.

"They should be tough on China and illegal immigration but must be careful not to talk about those issues [in] ways that alienate Asian and Hispanic Americans," the ex-aide to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Vice President Dick Cheney said. "Republicans must be the alternative, not just the opposition."

But the RNC is less anxious than Conda given that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama suffered losses in their first terms Clinton losing 50-plus House seats in 1994 and Obama shedding 60-odd seats in 2010.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"There is no bigger liability to Democrats than Kamala and Biden on the campaign trail, RNC deputy press secretary Nicole Morales said of Vice President Kamala Harris and her boss.

Read the original post:
Biden and Democrats hope Republicans will blow midterm election prospects - Washington Examiner