Trump's Strength Is On the Line In West Virginia
May 8, 2018 at 8:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
The special elections since Donald Trump became president have told us a lot about the enthusiasm of the two parties. In nearly every case, they’ve shown Democrats are much more fired up to vote.
Today we’ll get a good glimpse of the Republican electorate as they choose a U.S. Senate candidate in West Virginia. Will Republicans pick someone favored by the establishment — which now includes President Trump — or will they choose a Trumpian outsider prone to saying outrageous things with promises to shake up the system?
Trump urged West Virginian Republicans yesterday to reject Don Blankenship (R), even though he’s running a campaign most like Trump did in 2016. Blankenship has taken on “Swamp Captain” Mitch McConnell and accused him of doing the bidding of “China people” over “West Virginia people.” The former coal executive has plenty of baggage — including a year in prison for safety violations that led to the deaths of 29 coal miners — and Trump says he can’t win the general election.
Nonetheless, many GOP operatives think Blankenship could still beat his two rivals, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) and Rep. Even Jenkins (R-WV). At least two internal polls over the weekend showed Blankenship with a narrow lead. If Blankenship does prevail, it will be a replay of the Alabama U.S. Senate race where Trump also sided with the establishment candidate in the primary only to see voters ignore his advice.
Trump won West Virginia by more than 40-points in the 2016 presidential election. If Blankenship wins today’s primary, it’s additional proof that no one controls the forces Trump unleashed in his party in 2016 — including Trump himself.
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https://politicalwire.com/2018/05/08/trumps-strength-is-on-the-line-in-west-virginia/
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