GOP Midterm Strategy: A 'Hate Election' Approach

Republicans acknowledge a bleak forecast for their midterm elections but are clinging to the hope of voters' fear and loathing of Democrats. A Republican tied to President Trump's political operation told Axios, "It's going to be a hate election. Voters have to hate the Dems more than they hate us. And we have material to work with."

There is widespread GOP frustration that Trump has worsened challenging midterm elections by not focusing heavily on pocketbook issues, such as tax cuts, while the Iran war raised gas prices and fueled inflation. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) noted, "I have yet to understand how we win the midterms by talking about what happened in 2020."

Despite Trump's low approval ratings, Republicans plan to leverage internal Democratic divisions to paint the entire party as radicals. One Republican pollster stated, "Swing voters have a persistent fear the Democrats will just go too far left. So we can make the case that yeah, we suck. But they're worse."