Vulnerable Democrats are avoiding talking about former President Trump’s bombshell conviction last week on 34 felony charges, fearing political backlash in purple states and districts.
Front-line Democrats representing battleground states and states where trust in the criminal justice system is low and Trump’s legal challenges have fueled his base support are warning that focusing on New York’s convictions could be politically counterproductive. .
“I try to stay away from anything that’s not a unifying topic,” Rep. Mary Feltola (Alaska), a leading Democrat, said when asked if she was concerned that talking about the convictions might turn off some voters.
The reaction on lawmakers’ first day back at the Capitol after the jury found Trump guilty was a reflection of Trump’s extraordinary ability to survive the scandal and the delicate dance Democrats are attempting to tackle his felony conviction, particularly whether the major parties will have a presidential election or not. This emphasizes the tricky question: The candidate must serve time in prison.
On the one hand, the Democratic Party’s response is a no-brainer. They said in unison throughout the trial that they would trust the judicial system and respect the outcome, and that no one is above the law, not even a former president. Now that Trump has been found guilty, they are delaying the justice system once again.
When asked whether Trump should go to jail, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said, “That’s for someone else to decide.”
Sen. Bob Casey (R-Pa.) echoed the sentiments of his colleagues in battleground states.
“That’s up to the judge,” Casey said. “I don’t have any opinion on that.”
On the other hand, a conviction presents a dilemma for Democrats. Democrats must now decide whether to emphasize felonies as the focus of their election message or move away from the case and focus on other issues that affect voters, such as the economy. More directly.
“If someone running in a competitive state right now wants to talk about Trump, they don’t want to talk about New York courts.” said one Democratic source working in a battleground state. “They want to talk about how another Trump presidency will affect their lives.”
In some states, campaigns are being waged on the thinnest voters, many of whom are not necessarily interested in politics.
“If I were to run in a battleground state, I would say President Trump would repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away your health insurance, but the Democrats wouldn’t,” the party operative continued. “Everyone involved in the struggle for democracy already knows who they are voting for. … “It’s a waste of time for a candidate from a battleground to talk about that.”
“The person who talks least about politics and is least interested is your friend.” The agent continued. “That person is the voter we are all chasing… They are not interested in this. “They care about rent, food, access to health care.”
A second Democratic operative working in battleground contests said the party widely views the conviction as a positive thing for the party, given past polling data, but added that he doesn’t think people in competitive races will necessarily be direct messengers on the topic. Yes.
“Obviously we want the president (Ticket) to do well in our state, but filing lawsuits is not necessarily our fight,” the strategist said.
But there are plenty of signs that Democratic strategists see opportunity in Trump’s legal challenges. On the House side, the Democratic campaign arm sent out an email highlighting 23 vulnerable Republican incumbents who “wasted no time supporting a now-convicted criminal” after his conviction.
A third Democratic operative specifically cited Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), who hold two of the most targeted seats on the Democratic map, as prime examples and noted: . Jersey Republicans announced they would vote for Trump hours before the verdict.
“All these people need to face the music on whether they are willing to support a convicted felon for president,” they said.
Some Democrats said the convictions offer the party an opportunity to draw a moral contrast between Presidents Trump and Biden and highlight Republican attacks on the American justice system.
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said, “I want to raise this issue along these lines: “It’s a shame that Republicans have such distrust of the judiciary.”
But Bera also emphasized that nearly a decade after Trump burst onto the political scene, voters have a vivid idea of who he is and what he has done, suggesting that Democrats will have better luck if they focus on specific issues.
“The conviction doesn’t really reveal anything about Trump’s character that we didn’t already know. So I think a lot of that is already baked in,” Bera said. “We have a lot of positive issues that we can continue to pursue.”
Mychael Schnell contributed.
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