Trump, McConnell Meet to Talk About GOP Senators at 2020 Risk
Trump Meets With McConnell to Talk About Threatened GOP Senators
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell met on Wednesday to discuss the November elections, according to two people familiar with the matter, as several Republican senators are at risk of defeat.
Republican control of the Senate could be imperiled by the loss of seats from Arizona to Maine in the election. There are 23 Republican senators up for re-election in November, and the Cook Political Report rates nine of their races as “toss up” or “leans Republican,” indicating they’re competitive.
In a sign of Trump’s deepening concern over control of the Senate, he urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider a run to represent his home state of Kansas in the upper chamber last month. Pompeo ultimately opted not to file for the state’s Republican primary before the June 1 filing deadline.
The political forecasting site regards only two Senate Democrats to be in competitive races -- Alabama’s Doug Jones, which is rated “leans Republican,” and Michigan’s Gary Peters, whose seat is considered “leans Democrat.”
Trump’s approval rating fell to 39% in a Gallup poll conducted May 28 to June 4, down from 49% in the most recent poll.
GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said it’s too early to say whether Trump’s declining poll numbers will affect the race for Senate control.
“You can’t tell until after the conventions,” said Graham, who is on the ballot in November. “Polls are snapshots in time. If the economy continues to get better, they’ll come up.”
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