A Quinnipiac poll of swing states found that Republican Senators running for reelection are performing slightly better than GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in their respective states.
Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio are both currently leading their opponents, according to the poll. Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania currently trails his Democratic opponent Katie McGinty, who recently called him an “asshole,” by three points.
Fla: Rubio 48 — Murphy 45
Ohio: Portman 49 — Strickand 40
Pa: McGinty 47 — Toomey 44https://t.co/YYqsxrC7ij
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) August 11, 2016
Trump probably needs to win all of these states if he’s going to have a shot at beating Hillary Clinton in November. Unfortunately, the polls show him struggling against Clinton in Florida and Ohio, and especially Pennsylvania, where he trails by double digits.
The good news for Republican is that, despite Trump’s poor showing, the GOP Senate candidates in these states are outperforming him. Rubio leads by three in Florida, where Trump trails by one. Portman leads by nine points in Ohio, while Trump trails by four. Toomey’s support in Pennsylvania is two points higher than Trump’s, and he trails by just three.
QPac Senate:
Rubio 48% Murphy 45%
(Trump down 46-45)Portman 49% Strickland 40%
(Trump down 49-45)McGinty 47 Toomey 44
(Trump down 52-42)— Marcus Hawkins (@HawkinsUSA) August 11, 2016
Meanwhile, a group of more than 70 top GOP aide and campaign operatives is calling on the Republican National Committee to stop funding Trump’s campaign, arguing that the money would be better spent on House and Senate races to ensure the party doesn’t lose its majority in Congress.
Top Republicans call on RNC to stop funding Trump https://t.co/ZLN2jeoOs3 pic.twitter.com/skut5a1iNu
— The Hill (@thehill) August 11, 2016
“Given the catastrophic impact that Donald Trump’s losing presidential campaign will have on down-ballot Senate and House races, we urge you to immediately suspend all discretionary RNC support for Trump and focus the entirety of the RNC’s available resources on preserving the GOP’s congressional majorities,” the group wrote in a draft letter to RNC leadership.
