WASHINGTON – The head of the Republican National Committee admitted Sunday that the GOP’s majority in the House is at risk because Democrats have the enthusiasm.
“Democrats have energy right now,” Ronna Romney McDaniel told John Catsimatidis Sunday on AM 970 in New York. “They thought they were going to win the White House in 2016. They took their eyes off what they needed to do to win that election. And they’re coming back strong in 2018, hoping to flip the majority.”
Romney McDaniel felt more optimistic that Republicans will retain the Senate and even gain seats.
The Senate map is more favorable to the GOP this November, with 10 Democrats trying to defend their seats in red states President Trump carried in 2016, including West Virginia, Montana, Indiana, North Dakota, Missouri and Florida.
Republicans believe there’s only a couple of red states they could lose in 2018, including Nevada and Arizona.
The party that wins the House in November will have subpoena power over the Trump administration and control of the oversight committees’ agendas.
Democrats have promised to be a real check on Trump, with some liberals already calling for impeachment hearings.
The president’s party typically takes a hit during the midterms.
“It will be a battle to keep our majority in the House,” Romney McDaniel said on “The Cats Roundtable.” “The question every American … is going to have to ask themselves is, ‘Am I better off than I was a year and a half ago?’… I would say most Americans would say we are on the right track, and they’ll keep Republicans in the majority.”
On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Romney McDaniel put the odds of retaining the House at “50/50.”
Democrats are getting a midterm boost with former President Barack Obama joining the campaign trail.
Candidates across the country have been campaigning on reducing healthcare costs, boosting wages and holding Trump accountable.
“The world is upside down and our democracy is indeed on the ballot,” Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez told “Face the Nation.”
