Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Sunday that Republicans running for Congress should highlight “all the good things” the Trump administration has done for the U.S., despite President Trump hitting an all-time high disapproval rating.
“I think we should point out the reality of all the good things this administration has done,” Johnson told ABC’s “This Week,” when asked how Republican candidates should handle Trump’s high disapproval rating. A Washington Post–ABC News poll released Friday found that 36 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Trump’s performance in office, while 60 percent said they disapproved.
{mosads}Johnson pointed to the Trump administration’s regulatory rollbacks and the GOP tax overhaul, as well as Republicans’ appointments of conservative judges.
“Over the next two months Republicans just have to point out the success, and it’s been an astonishing success,” he added.
ABC host Martha Raddatz interjected, saying, “But let’s go back to that poll, senator, and those really tough numbers.”
“If I believed in polls I wouldn’t have even run in 2016. So I’m not a big believer in the polls,” Johnson said. “There’s only one poll that counts, it’s on Election Day and we’ll see really the verdict of the American public.”
Republicans face a difficult path to maintaining control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Most political handicappers give Democrats a solid chance of winning back control of the House, though Republicans, they say, are well-positioned to retain their Senate majority. Senate Democrats are defending 10 seats in states won by Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
A number of Republican candidates across the U.S. are attempting to appeal to Trump supporters — and the president himself — by seeking to closely align themselves with Trump and his agenda.
Still, some strategists say aligning with the president could be problematic for some candidates’ campaigns.