Donald Trump’s relentless efforts to challenge the results of the presidential race could reduce the likelihood of a Republican majority in the US Senate next term, GOP poll Frank Luntz argued on Sunday. The communications consultant and political commentator has criticized Trump’s actions since election day in an interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz, as the incumbent president went on to advance the baseless allegations of his campaign of voter fraud and misconduct. made the November game turn.
Luntz suggested that Trump’s focus on unfounded fraud allegations would work to the detriment of the American public, and that Republican congressional candidates would continue to campaign ahead of Georgia’s by-elections next week. Current GOP senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler insist on defending their seats against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, after no candidates secured more than half the votes in the general election.
“This has an impact on Republicans in the House and Senate. It feels like this president is trying to do as much damage as he can,” Luntz said Sunday, referring to Trump’s actions since the general election before specifically addressing their potential impact. on Perdue treated. and Loeffler.
“I’m scared and I believe the two Republicans could lose on January 5 because of what the president is currently doing … and that should not happen,” he added. “The election must be conducted in isolation from the ugliness that is taking place here in Washington.”
How Georgia’s runoff games unfold is critical to the state’s voters as well as the rest of the country, as its outcome will determine whether the Democrats are able to gain control of the Senate. If both Ossoff and Warnock win, elected Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will act as an equalizer in the Senate – and the Republicans will lose their current majority.
Recent polls suggest close races between Perdue and Ossoff, as well as Loeffler and Warnock, about a week before the January 5 run in Georgia. The latest statistics included in FiveThirtyEight’s favorite tracker show that Perdue Ossoff is 0.1 percentage point ahead, and Warnock is just less than 1 percent ahead of Loeffler.
Trump, along with the large number of Republican figures and organizations, openly advocated for Perdue and Loeffler during the run-off campaigns. He will appear at a rally in Georgia next week in support of their bid on the eve of Georgia’s election, after commenting on another GOP campaign earlier in December.
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Trump’s comments in support of the two senatorial candidates are often intertwined with discredited allegations that the Democrats stole the presidential election. Although President-elect Joe Biden has won a majority of popular votes, including those cast in Georgia, and subsequently received the number of electoral votes needed to run for office, Trump has yet to concede. While the U.S. is grappling with emerging COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths, it continues to devote most public statements to advancing its campaign’s fraud allegations, despite the absence of evidence to substantiate the allegations.
“My frustration, as we end this year, is that the president is tweeting about an election that is over, and that he should rather tweet about saving lives, about taking this vaccine,” Luntz said Sunday, referring to polls suggested by Republicans. is less likely to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, in which states have recently begun administering to high-risk groups.
“His own voice listens to him, and they do not realize how important it is,” he continued. “They need to wake up.”
Newsweek reached out to Luntz and the Trump campaign for comment, but did not receive timely responses for publication.