With the upcoming election heating up, some Republican lawmakers are losing hope that they might be able to reclaim the House in 2020. Between the blockbuster fundraising some Democratic candidates are seeing, Donald Trump’s dwindling popularity, and strong progressive leadership, things are looking grim, according to a few GOP members.
The Hill reports that Republicans are pessimistic about their outlook in the 2020 race. One key indicator that the GOP party isn’t as strong as it used to be can be found in Trump’s ratings. Over the past few weeks, poll after poll has shown the president lagging behind several of his potential Democratic challengers in the 2020 matchup.
Most recently, a poll released yesterday showed that Trump is losing in Florida with Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Pete Buttigieg all leading the president in the state that he calls his part-time home. According to Vanity Fair , Trump is losing by a 9 point margin to Biden.
A poll last week also showed the president losing by a “landslide,” according to The Hill . The poll showed the president 13 points behind Biden.
NEW POLL: Biden leads 2020 Dems by 19 points in Virgina https://t.co/SmRPA7Cnia pic.twitter.com/Pzyo3tjCeY
— The Hill (@thehill) June 20, 2019
“It’s a long 17 months to Election Day, but Joe Biden is ahead by landslide proportions,” said Tim Malloy, who helped conduct the poll.
On top of that Republicans say that the Democrats’ focus on poll-leading issues like healthcare and infrastructure is appealing to voters. One senior GOP lawmaker spoke anonymously to The Hill about Republican prospects.
“It’s going to be tough. [The Democrats] have really good majority-makers – Abigail Spanberger, Dean Phillips, Max Rose. They’ve got some good members that know what they’re doing. They seem to not be embracing the crazy,” the source said.
Then there’s the issue of fundraising. Democrats have raised more than $32 million in the first three months of 2019, while the Republican campaign arm has only raised $25 million in the same amount of time.
“There is a path for us to take it back, but they have good candidates. They have money they are still raising left and right,” the source said. “You just don’t know if the intensity of our voters will be enough, because [Democrats] are still engaged.”
Another GOP source told The Hill that Republicans have lost some voters because it appears that they wasted their chance to repeal ObamaCare when they controlled the House, Senate, and White House.
Currently, Democrats have 235 seats in the house to 198 Republican seats, meaning they would need to win at least 20 to take back control of the House.
