President Donald Trump and White House officials reportedly have developed a five-step approach to help Republicans retain control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.
Although the GOP holds a 220-212 House majority with three vacancies in the 119th Congress, senior party members privately acknowledge that retaining control will not be easy, Axios reported Tuesday.
Besides understanding GOP control would assist in passing his agenda, Trump knows there are Democrats intent on impeaching him for a third time.
The president “knows the stakes firsthand. He saw what can happen. It’s clear he doesn’t want that again,” Matt Gorman, a top official for House Republicans’ campaign arm in the 2018 midterms, told Axios.
“Investigations, impeachment — he knows it’s all on the table with a Speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries.”
Trump’s five-step plan includes:
- Preventing House retirements
- Spending big
- Avoiding primary challenges
- Raising money
- Recruiting
The White House understands that incumbents with established fundraising and campaigning networks usually are better positioned to win than any challengers.
Among the lawmakers being encouraged to seek reelection are Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., who have been considering runs for governor and the U.S. Senate respectively.
Trump allies are estimating that much as $14 million could be spent for Lawler’s seat and $3.7 million for Huizenga’s seat if the incumbents decide to leave the House.
The White House already is concerned about retaining seats held by Reps. John James, R-Mich., and Andy Barr, R-Ky., Axios reported. James has announced plans to run for governor, and Barr is running for the Senate.
Trump has endorsed several swing-district Republican incumbents in attempts to prevent would-be primary challengers, the outlet reported.
Also, Trump’s allies and the National Republican Congressional Committee are looking for candidates in swing-district races with no incumbents. The hope is to avoid messy primaries.
As for campaign spending, the pro-Trump 501(c)(4) nonprofit Securing American Greatness has launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign touting the president’s economic agenda in the districts of eight vulnerable House Republicans and 13 districts where Trump won but House GOP candidates lost in November.
The president has amassed a war chest of at least $600 million in political donations heading into the midterm elections, according to three people familiar with the matter. It’s an unprecedented sum in modern politics, particularly for a lame-duck president who is barred by the U.S. Constitution from running again.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.