Retiring GOP rep: Republicans should ‘be prepared for the worst’ in 2018 midterms

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) said Sunday the GOP should “be prepared for the worst” in the 2018 midterms, pointing to President Trump’s low approval ratings, even in solid-red states like Alabama.

“I’ve told my colleagues, ‘look, we’re going to be running into a headwind. You better be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. But be prepared for the worst because this could be a really tough year,'” Dent said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Dent, who announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection in 2018, has been a critic of his own party under Trump. He ripped Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, saying the party “would not be able to remove the stain” of Moore’s candidacy if it backed him. Moore ultimately lost the election to Democrat Doug Jones. 

Dent, who is the co-chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group in the House, said Sunday he’s unsure if Republicans will lose their majority in the House or Senate, but noted Trump’s approval rating is less than 50 percent even in states like Alabama, which he won handily in 2016.

A recent CNN poll showed Trump’s approval rating at its lowest level yet, with just 35 percent of Americans giving him positive marks.

Dent added that Trump could help some Republicans on the campaign trail in 2018, but hurt others.

“There are some areas of the country where he would not be very helpful, obviously, and there’s some where, I’m sure in some very ruby-red Republican districts, I’m sure it would be beneficial to have him come in for those candidates, but in some marginal swing districts in the Northeast, I suspect a lot of candidates probably would rather that he not visit,” Dent said.