A top aide to President Obama said Thursday the White House isn’t entertaining the possibility of Republicans winning the Senate this year.
“We’re not preparing for it,” said senior presidential adviser Dan Pfeiffer. “We’re very confident the Democrats will retain the Senate. That’s where all of our energy and our focus is.”
Speaking at a breakfast hosted by Politico, Mr. Pfeiffer said a GOP takeover of the Senate would be disastrous for Mr. Obama’s agenda and for middle-class Americans. He said it would result in blocking of Mr. Obama’s judicial nominees, who are being approved at a more rapid pace after Democrats eliminated the filibuster rule in the Senate.
“It would mean a loss of the agenda that the American people care about and support,” Mr. Pfeiffer said of a GOP takeover. “The Republican Senate would block almost everything. The Republican Senate, I promise you … would spend all of its time trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”
The GOP needs to pick up six seats to control the Senate in November, a goal that many political strategists believe is within the party’s reach.
Mr. Pfeiffer said the president is promoting an increase in the federal minimum wage, in part, because it’s a “powerful” campaign issue for Democrats this year.
“The Republicans have no good argument against it,” he said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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