Daniel Wolfram
Sinking poll numbers and tight races are forcing vulnerable Republicans to skip rallies and break rank with Donald Trump right before the midterms.
With just about a week to go before the midterm elections, one would think that all the Republican candidates who are in tight battles against their Democratic counterparts would seek Trump’s help and endorsement.
But after inflation, tariffs, culture wars, and the war against Iran, Republicans are breaking ranks with Trump and his administration.
Some candidates are even refusing to campaign with him.
Texas Governor refuses to campaign with Trump
There is a great example of that down in Texas, where the incumbent governor, Greg Abbott, is facing stiff competition from his Democratic opponent, Gina Hinojosa.
When Trump was in Texas earlier this month, Abbott was asked why he did not choose to campaign with the president. Abbott excused himself by citing already planned events that day. And then he took a veiled shot at Trump and his MAGA base.
“Whenever he [Trump] does show up, it leads to excitement with the base. He does a good job with getting the base organized and turning out,” Abbott said, according to political reporter Ben Wermund.
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Most polls show that Abbott currently holds a narrow lead over Hinojosa.
A Republican candidate broke with Trump with an ad outside the White House
Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar from Florida took it one step further. She went to Washington, D.C., to shoot an ad outside the White House.
Here, Salazar broke with Trump over his administration’s immigration policies that have hurt her constituents.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far […] The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
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‘He’s kryptonite!’
Those two examples are just some of the ways Republicans are breaking with Trump. As Politico reports, candidates who are in tight races all across America have chosen to distance themselves from a president with the lowest approval rating ever.
“These candidates know how to read a poll,” said a GOP strategist to Politico when asked why many Republicans are now jumping ship, adding: “They know he is kryptonite.”
That message has not gotten through to Trump and the White House. Over the last 12 days, Trump has held 24 campaign rallies in different battleground states.
