Analysis: Candidate gaffes erode House GOP’s strong position to win majority
by David Mark, Managing Editor - Magazine |
September 24, 2022 06:50 AM
Some bumbling House Republican candidates are not helping their party’s cause to win a House majority on Nov. 8.
House Republicans are otherwise well positioned to claim a majority in the midterm elections. Democratic President Joe Biden’s approval ratings are persistently low. Four-decade high inflation continues to pinch consumers, and the Federal Reserve’s consistent interest rate hikes are jacking up credit fees, the cost of home mortgages, and a range of other expenses for the public.
The House math also works in the House Republicans’ favor. The party needs to net only five seats in the 435-member chamber to win its first majority since the 2018 midterm elections, in which GOP candidates were swept under in large part by former President Donald Trump’s enduring unpopularity. The party out of power in the White House and Congress almost always picks up seats in midterm elections. (Democrats hold the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate.)
But all of that only matters if Republican candidates can take advantage of these circumstances and win in the fall. That’s a prospect that, in many cases, is far from sure due to GOP hopefuls' frequent self-inflicted campaign trail wounds.
The situation is most acute in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, based in the Toledo area and northwestern Ohio. It’s one of 15 new House districts in Ohio drawn by state Republicans and, in this case, is meant to dislodge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur from office.
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