The chairman of House Democrats’ campaign arm said Thursday that while he doesn’t underestimate anyone, GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump would likely be a boon for Democrats running in down-ticket races if Mr. Trump wins the Republican nomination.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico Democrat, said there’s a lot of concern across America when you have someone running for president “spewing the hate and the divisive rhetoric that he is.”
“But I will say this: Donald Trump has created a lot of optimism for me as a Democrat, as well as Democrats across the country, with opportunities,” Mr. Luján, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said on CNN’s “New Day.” “What we know as Democrats is what Paul Ryan knows as speaker of the House and as a Republican: Donald Trump is bad for the GOP down-ballot.”
Asked about Mr. Trump’s appeal among independents and some Democrats, Mr. Luján said he never underestimates anyone.
“For me, this is always about one district at a time, one vote at a time, and making sure we’re reaching out to the country, but it’s Republicans that are more concerned about Donald Trump than anyone across the country,” he said.
Much of the attention in congressional races the past few cycles has focused on control of the U.S. Senate. Republicans racked up a huge advantage in the House following the 2010 midterms to the point where the possibility of Democrats re-taking control was a long shot.
But some have warned this year that a Trump nomination could contribute to the GOP’s losing control of the Senate and a good number of seats in the House, where they hold a 246-188 advantage over the Democrats.
Mr. Trump, for his part, has said he’s attracting scores of new voters to his campaign, many of whom who haven’t participated in the political process before, as well as many Democrats and independents.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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