President Donald Trump‘s threats against House Republicans over his unpopular tariffs could have put GOP lawmakers facing tough midterm battles in a tight spot, according to a Bloomberg report on Thursday.
Voters have expressed mounting concerns over the high cost of living, and six Republican lawmakers sided against Trump and voted with Democrats to pass legislation pushing for an end to tariffs against Canada.
“But for many of the 210 Republicans who stuck with Trump, the vote could haunt them in a midterm election focused squarely on affordability,” Bloomberg reported.
“The tariffs have emerged as deeply unpopular with voters — and their support for duties seen as contributing to rising prices for consumers could erode their chances for reelection,” according to the outlet.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) voted against Trump and House Republicans.
“Fitzpatrick, Hurd and Kiley are among the more vulnerable Republicans who are up for reelection this year. Bacon and Newhouse said they will not seek reelection,” Bloomberg reported.
And Democrats have seized on a potential opportunity to flip Republican seats.
“Others in toss-up districts who voted to support the duties are already being targeted by Democrats,” Bloomberg reported. “In Iowa, Republicans Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks hold precarious positions. Miller-Meeks squeaked by her Democratic opponent during her last election in a district which Trump carried by eight points. Plus, farmers in the region are not happy with the president’s trade agenda, pointing to the retaliatory actions put on their soybean crops.”
While Trump faces backlash over his harsh immigration policies and actions in Minnesota, plus criticism over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files, he has also put himself in a more potentially precarious spot ahead of the midterms. And Democrats could take advantage of that in November.
“A Democratic-led House would water down Trump’s executive power. It would also increase oversight investigations into his administration and even spur a third impeachment vote, though slim chance the Senate would back removing him from office,” Bloomberg reported.
Justin Chermol, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson, described to Bloomberg how Trump’s move to attack his own party could backfire.
“Fearing retribution from their wildly unpopular leader who is tanking the US economy in real-time, vulnerable House Republicans chose party loyalty over affordability,” Chermol said. “Their vote to continue Trump’s reckless tariffs proves they have no plan to address rising costs.”
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