U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA). (REUTERS)
Semafor reports Republicans are considering whether to surrender the states of North Carolina and Georgia to Democrats in the November Senate race. Party insiders say the problem is a money issue versus GOP toxicity under President Donald Trump.
“Just 10 years ago, those two southern states formed the bedrock of Republicans’ Senate majorities. But as … Trump’s collapsing approval hampers the party’s candidates nationwide and widen the battleground map, some in the GOP want to adjust tactics and consider moving money away from races where its candidates are struggling to gain traction.
“These are always tough decisions, but it’s a zero-sum game. It’s important that resources are directed where there’s a high probability of a winning outcome,” one Republican senator told Semafor. “North Carolina and Georgia have consistently shown us behind. It’s not an easy environment.”
According to the GOP member speaking anonymously with Semafor, the party appears to be investing resources on Senate races with slightly more hope in Michigan and New Hampshire while they fight to hang onto Senate seats in Iowa, Ohio, and Alaska.
“When it all settles, we’re going to win those seats, objectively. But I think we’re going to have a hard time in North Carolina and Georgia,” the senator said.
“Republicans don’t yet agree on their battleground blueprint,” reports Semafor. “Some would prefer to keep hammering away at former North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff. But less than two months out from Election Day, the party’s internal divide reflects the urgency with which they’re working to hang onto at least one chamber of Congress next year — as the House looks increasingly likely to flip to Democrats.”
Semafor reports Cooper and Ossoff have maintained steady leads over their GOP opponents and that neither North Carolina nominee Michael Whatley or Collins have the advantage of incumbency. Meanwhile, red-state incumbents Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) are facing abnormally robust challengers.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told Semafor that Republicans must “take a hard look at North Carolina and Georgia” when assessing their chances: “Move on? Maybe. Obviously we have limited resources, and we want to put them where we’re likely to win. And it would really suck if we lose in Alaska, for example, where we aren’t spending the resources.”
But Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Semafor that North Carolina and Georgia just are “not looking good.”
“Georgia looks like it’s pretty close to done. And North Carolina seems to be close to that. I’m still hopeful that something will change. But you know, at some point things get baked in,” said Cornyn.