Some within the GOP are beginning to fear Trump could be a hindrance rather than a help in the upcoming midterms.
A few months ago, Republicans were certain they would reclaim majorities in both Congressional chambers. But as the race is getting tighter, Trump’s presence is beginning to look like a liability instead of an asset, at least if polling figures from NBC News are supposed to be believed.
A poll released Sunday (September 19) shows only 34 percent of registered voters view Trump positively, compared to 54 percent with a negative view of the former President.
Those figures are the worst the former President has registered on the NBC News poll since April 2021.
But under the weight of a slew of investigations and the uncovering of 300 classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump has lost favor with many independent voters — a group the GOP needs to secure midterm victories in swing states.
Even Trump’s overt defenses about the documents found at Mar-a-Lago have done little to calm the negative impact the controversy is having on him.
A Quinnipiac University study also confirms the reputational damage the seizure of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago had on the former President. The Quinnipiac University poll released in August shows half of Americans believe the former President should be prosecuted for his handling of classified documents; fifty-two percent of independent voters believe the same.
In an NPR-Marist poll released a month after the FBI’s August 8 raid on his Mar-a-Lago home, 67 percent of independent voters indicated they didn’t want him to run for President again.
John Thomas, a Republican strategist, acknowledged Trump’s impact on the midterms, saying candidates would have to ask: “Can you move your base turnout margin ever so slightly? I think Trump has utility there. And can you win with independent swing voters on issues that aren’t Trump-related?”
