With Democrats talking about their hopes for a "Blue Wave" in mid-term elections this November, President Donald Trump has shown no reluctance to plunge head first into the 2018 battle for the U.S. House and Senate, more than ready to stress the argument that if Democrats take over the Congress, they'll move first to get rid of Mr. Trump's signature tax cut law.
"If Democrats gain power, they will try to reverse these incredible gains. These are historic gains," Mr. Trump said in a speech last week, as he used a speech to appeal to pro-life voters to back the GOP in November, and not let the Democrats take charge on Capitol Hill.
"They want to get rid of the tax cut bill and raise your taxes. Somehow I don’t think that plays well, but you never know, right?" the President added.
Mr. Trump will take that message on the road again on Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee, as he will make a campaign stop to help Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is running for Senate to replace the retiring Sen. Bob Corker.
"That's why we will be campaigning for every last vote in every part of our great country," Mr. Trump said.
The President's warning in recent weeks has been very direct.
"The Economy is sooo strong, and with Nancy Pelosi wanting to end the big Tax Cuts and Raise Taxes, why wouldn’t we win?" the President tweeted earlier this month.
"So your vote in 2018 is every bit as important as your vote in 2016," Mr. Trump said last week, as he has repeatedly urged GOP voters to better match the voter enthusiasm which Democrats have shown in a variety of special elections and primaries.
Giving hope to the GOP in recent months has been the uptick in the President's favorability numbers in the polls, as Republican leaders in Congress hammer home Mr. Trump's tax cut message, clearly making that their central argument for why the GOP should stay in charge after November.
But, especially in the House, Republicans will have more seats to defend where GOP lawmakers have decided not to run for re-election, taking away the advantage of incumbency in a number of seats.
On Monday, those numbers increased again, as another Republican announced he would not return in 2019 - Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA), who last week held a rambling, and somewhat bizarre, news conference to say he would run for re-election, then announced that he would retire because of personal troubles with alcohol.
So far, 54 sitting members of the House (including the House GOP Speaker Paul Ryan) won't be back next year - that number would be even higher, but several Republicans who initially declared that they would not run for re-election then decided to resign from Congress, leaving before the end of their term.
Back in the 2016 election cycle, the total change in the House was 57 lawmakers - so, that should easily be eclipsed with the expectation that more than a few incumbents will be losing their seats in November.
"These are the stakes on Election Day, and this is why you need to fight for victory in November," Mr. Trump says. "We can't be complacent."
Election Day is 23 weeks from Tuesday.
About the Author
