Donald Trump is focusing his attention on challengers to Democratic members of Congress he considers enemies.
Donald Trump spent his Monday morning both endorsing and retweeting GOP challengers running against House Democrats he despises — even though those Republican candidates have no shot at all at winning.
Trump retweeted and endorsed challengers to Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, and Karen Bass of California, and Kweisi Mfume of Maryland. Hillary Clinton carried their districts by at least 50 points in 2016; they are nearly impossible for a Republican to flip.
However, Trump has feuded with those Democratic lawmakers and therefore is promoting their challengers. In the process, he's wasting his time directing resources to virtually certain losers while ignoring actual competitive races in the Senate that Republicans are at risk of losing and in which they face fundraising deficits thanks to the grassroots donors flooding Democratic candidates' war chests.
For example, Trump fired off multiple retweets of Eric Early, Schiff's GOP challenger, even though Schiff is all but guaranteed to win. Schiff won reelection in 2018 with nearly 80% of the vote, and Clinton carried the seat in 2016 by a 50-point margin.
Trump hates Schiff because he ran the investigation and hearings that led to Trump's impeachment.
"Californians deserve better than Adam Schiff as their Congressman," reads Early's tweet that Trump retweeted. "The American people deserve better than Adam Schiff as the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee. We don't have to settle. We can vote this Schiff OUT! I need your support."
Trump also endorsed Joe E. Collins III, the GOP challenger to Waters, even though Clinton carried Waters' district by a whopping 62 points in 2016.
Waters' challenger has a checkered past, including allegedly being part of the "sovereign citizens movement," whose adherents believe "they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and they don't think they should have to pay taxes," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"Maxine Waters has long been considered 'the most corrupt person in Congress'. Only habit keeps her there. Vote for Joe E. Collins lll and get this long time CROOK, Maxine Waters, out of office!!!" Trump tweeted, linking to a donation page for Collins' campaign.
Trump also retweeted a fundraising appeal from Errol Webber, the GOP candidate running against Bass: "If you're a Republican in California and you think your vote doesn't count, you are just listening to the propaganda they want you to hear. Your vote matters. This year more than any other year. We can flip this whole state. Help me do it!"
Clinton won Bass' district by 76% in 2016; it is one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the country.
And finally, Trump promoted the candidacy of Kimberly Klacik, who has become a Fox News darling, in her certain-to-fail bid against Mfume in Maryland's 7th Congressional District.
Mfume already defeated Klacik in an April special election to succeed the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, whom Trump smeared for representing what he called "corrupt" Baltimore. Mfume beat Klacik 75% to 25% — and there are no signs that Klacik has turned her fortunes around to win in three weeks.
Trump did not tweet any appeals for Senate Republicans running for reelection this fall, even though the chamber is at serious risk of flipping to Democrats.
FiveThirtyEight's current Senate forecast says Democrats are slight favorites to win a majority, needing to pick up a net three seats to capture the majority if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins.
And in the final days of the race, Democratic candidates are posting massive fundraising hauls thanks to enthusiasm from grassroots donors in the wake of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Politico reports that the huge influx of donations is terrifying GOP consultants.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
