Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton said on Monday that Republican candidates should not work to distance themselves from President Trump ahead of the midterms, warning that the move could backfire on them.
“If I was advising Republicans, I would be very, very careful with how much they distance themselves from the president because the fact of the matter is the president still maintains 88 percent approval among registered Republicans,” Singleton, a columnist for The Hill and former aide to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“I think Republicans have to be very, very careful here and take this on a case-by-case basis based on the states, based on the respective congressional districts. But I think distancing themselves too far from the president could have an effect that would not benefit Republicans going into November,” he continued.
Recent polls have shown Trump’s overall approval rating to be between 40 percent and 50 percent, while his approval with Republicans has remained high in the 80s.
Trump has hit the campaign trail recently, working to galvanize the GOP base ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The president traveled to Montana last week to hold a rally for GOP Senate candidate Matt Rosendale. He’s set to hold a rally for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) next month.
Cruz is locked in a tight reelection race with Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), worrying Republicans about the future of the historically red state.
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney warned in a closed-door meeting with Republicans last week that it was a “possibility” that Cruz could lose his Senate seat.
— Julia Manchester
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