‘The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) Republican operatives are confident that President Donald Trump will win re-election, especially given recent events.
The GOP’s coronavirus aid, the ongoing economic rebound and the president’s hard-line stance on “law and order” throughout recent protests have increased his favorability among swing state voters, according to Republicans working with Trump’s campaign.
“The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump,” Phillip Stephens, GOP chairman in Robeson County, North Carolina, told Politico.
“We’re calling him ‘Teflon Trump’” Stephens said. “Nothing’s going to stick, because if anything, it’s getting more exciting than it was in 2016.”
Stephens’s county was one of several in the state that voted for Trump after supporting former President Barack Obama in 2012. And this year, Stephens is convinced that Trump’s win will be a “landslide.”
Back in March, Republicans were understandably concerned that the economic hit would dull Trump’s chances. Internal polling confirmed that there was “some sagging off where we wanted to be,” said Andrew Hitt, the GOP chairman in Wisconsin.
But now, “things are coming right back where we want them,” Hitt said.
“That focus on the economy and on reopening and bringing America back is resonating with people,” he explained.
The real test will be the swing states, such as Ohio and Michigan. In both states, presidential candidate Joe Biden has been ahead of Trump.
However, Jane Timken, the Ohio GOP chairwoman, said she doesn’t see any evidence that demonstrable support for Trump has slipped. The GOP chairs of Indiana and Pennsylvania said the same.
“Contrary to what may be portrayed in the media, there’s still a high level of support out there,” said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.
The 2016 election is proof that polls are not always accurate. If anything, that inaccuracy has gotten even worse, according to Ted Lovdahl, chairman of the GOP in Minnesota’s 8th congressional district.
Friends and family members he’s talked to have said that pollsters’ questions are often misleading or aggressive. As a result, few give their honest opinions, Lovdahl said.
This shift away from public polls is happening nationwide, said Jack Brill, acting chairman of the local Republican Party in Sarasota County, Florida. “I used to be an avid poll watcher until 2016 … Guess what? I’m not watching polls.”
The Democratic Party’s lurch to the left must also be taken into consideration, said Scott Frostman, GOP chairman in Wisconsin’s Sauk County, which Obama won in 2012 but Trump won in 2016.
The Left’s recent “Defund the Police” movement is a perfect example of how polarizing the Democratic agenda has become, Frostman said.
“The further and further the Democrats tack left, and the further you get to where it’s the defunding the police,” he explained. “I think we have the opportunity as Republicans to talk to people a little bit more about some common sense things.”
Trump, for his part, is also confident that he can beat Biden. In April, he rejected polls that put him behind the former vice president. He has recently reminded Americans that the “silent majority” spoke in 2016, and that they’ll speak again in November.
“I don’t believe the polls,” Trump said in April, according to Reuters. “I believe the people of this country are smart. And I don’t think that they will put a man in who’s incompetent.”