GOP midterms strategy: Make it a "hate election"

Republicans openly admit their midterm prospects are poor, so they're pivoting to a strategy they call a 'hate election' — betting that voters will dislike Democrats more than Republicans. Per Axios, a GOP operative tied to President Trump's political operation told the outlet: 'Voters have to hate the Dems more than they hate us.' But there's friction inside the party. Many Republicans blame President Trump for squandering this advantage by dwelling on the past — including a Thursday speech about China's alleged influence campaign from twenty twenty — instead of highlighting GOP tax cuts. GOP pollsters say it's backfiring. Some data now show Democrats could gain seven House seats, enough to shift House control to Democrats. Trump's approval is also underwater by nineteen points among registered voters. Republicans still plan to paint Democrats as too radical for swing voters to trust, but their own analysts admit the math simply doesn't work without a shift in focus.

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