Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 24 SepteMber 2018

Some Democrats warn of dangers of election overconfidence

By STEVE PEOPLES and candidates are in a strong back to how people felt in
JUANA SUMMERS position." the early days of Novem-
Associated Press Democratic confidence is ber 2016."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The particularly strong among That's a tough message to
fight for the House majority campaign operatives who push at a time when even
is over. work closely with women, a Republican campaign pro-
At least that's the sense critical voting bloc that has fessionals publicly and pri-
from a growing number turned away from Trump's vately acknowledge that
of Democrats who are in- GOP in the suburban and conventional metrics for
creasingly confident in their exurban districts where the predicting election out-
quest to seize control of at House majority will be won comes favor Democrats.
least one chamber of Con- or lost this fall. Polls suggest At this point in President
gress six weeks before Elec- women are turbocharged Barack Obama's first term,
tion Day. and eager to punish Gallup reported the Demo-
The surging optimism Trump's party as the voting crat's approval rating at
among Democrats, usually season begins. least five points higher than
shared in private, has be- "I have all intentions of this Trump's current 38 percent
gun to spill into the open as institution delivering the approval. Obama's party
President Donald Trump's In this Sept. 13, 2018, file photo, former President Barack Obama U.S. House back for the would go on to lose 63
approval ratings sink and shakes hands with members of the audience as he campaigns Democrats," said Stepha- House seats in 2010.
in support of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray in
the Republican Party strug- Cleveland. nie Schriock, president of On top of Trump's low ap-
gles under the weight of Associated Press EMILY'S List, an organiza- proval, Republicans this
the president's self-imposed tion that supports female year have also been
political crises and erratic will win back the House of chairman of the Demo- Democrats. "We have the saddled by more than 40
behavior. Representatives," said New cratic Congressional Cam- candidates in place to do House retirements, ceding
"I do believe Democrats Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, paign Committee. "Our that and then some." the power of incumbency
But with the shock of in several competitive rac-
Trump's 2016 victory still es. And there are contin-
fresh, some Democrats are ued signs that the Demo-
painfully aware that signifi- cratic base is far more en-
cant factors could emerge ergized in the early years
in the 45 days before the of the Trump era than the
election that could derail GOP.
their presumptive success. "I would never tell a politi-
They're contending with cian to be confident be-
massive spending by GOP cause of how the world
super PACs, competing in changes," said Republican
gerrymandered congres- strategist Rick Tyler. "But
sional districts and are in- by applying those metrics,
creasingly worried about Democrats should pick up
some key candidates. 80 seats."
That's leaving some top Former Democratic Nation-
Democrats warning their al Committee Chair Donna
party of the dangers of Brazile turned heads in a
overconfidence. recent interview with ABC
"This is no time for confi- when she predicted a
dence. Democratic takeover in the
This is no time for brag- Senate. Democrats need
gadociousness or bluster," to pick up just two seats to
New Jersey Sen. Cory Book- claim the Senate majority,
er told The Associated Press but most of the competi-
in a recent interview. tive Senate contests this
Booker, a potential 2020 year takes place in a Re-
Democratic presidential publican-leaning state.
contender, reminded his "We're confident," Brazile
party of Hillary Clinton's said. "Not overconfident,
stunning loss in the last but confident that we can
presidential contest: "If run the tables in the Sen-
there's any complacency, ate."
if there's any resting on Money could complicate
their laurels, we need to go Democrats' plans.q