In an effort to look “tough” as he watches his poll numbers continue to sink and faces the possibility of losing the 2020 election by an enormous margin, President Donald Trump has decided he’ll try and run on a message of “law and order,” inserting federal agents wearing camouflage into the city of Portland, Oregon, with threats that he will do the same thing in other major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Kansas City, and even New York.
But if Trump was expecting such a move to provide a polling boost, he completely misunderstood the current mood of the American electorate, and his actions may wind up costing him a second term and the GOP control of the Senate according to new polling from Public Policy Polling (PPP), Common Dreams reports:
“Registered voters in Arizona, Maine, and North Carolina … oppose Trump’s deployment of federal agents in Portland. Some critics have charged the president’s tactics are part of a ploy to sow chaos across the country in an effort to ‘steal’ the election in November, when he is expected to face off against former Vice President Joe Biden. Voters also want Congress to intervene.”
Arizona, Maine. and North Carolina are also three key battleground states play a significant role in control of the U.S. Senate when the new Congress convenes in 2021. The three incumbent Republican senators in those states — Martha McSally, Susan Collins, and Thom Tillis — are facing strong Democratic challengers and appear to be headed for losses:
Voters don’t like what @realDonaldTrump is doing and are fed up with @MarthaMcSally, @SenSusanCollins, and @ThomTillis carrying water for him as he trundles toward authoritarianism.
— MoveOn (@MoveOn) July 24, 2020
That might be why our polls show all 3 of them trailing their Dem opponents among registered voters.
ME: 47-42, @SaraGideon over @SenSusanCollins (1st public poll since Gideon won her primary)
NC: 48-40, @CalforNC over @ThomTillis
AZ: 51-42, @CaptMarkKelly over @MarthaMcSally
— MoveOn (@MoveOn) July 24, 2020
Those three races — along with ones in Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas, are the ones being watched closely by political experts, and all look well within the reach of Democrats.
In the end, Trump’s desire to look like a strong leader appears to be backfiring badly on him and his party. And Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. They had a chance to remove him from office during impeachment and found a million excuses for why they refused to do so. But their recalcitrance may wind up making them the minority party for decades to come.
Featured Image Via NBC News
