Control of Washington for next two years hinges on voter choice
As the final days of summer give way to the fall campaign, Democrats and Republicans have opened a two-month sprint to the November midterms with fundamentally different closing arguments. In a Michigan swing district just north of Detroit, Democratic congressional candidate Christina Hines has framed her race around the cost of fuel, groceries and healthcare. In a New York battleground district, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is keeping his focus on the Democratic Socialists of America.
Hines said voters in her district are far more worried about affording fuel, groceries and healthcare than about left-wing extremists gaining ground in her party.
“It costs me $73 to fill up our minivan right now,” she said. “This is just not acceptable for working families.”
About 600 miles away, in his New York battleground district, Lawler said political extremism is exactly what he wants to talk about. The Democratic Socialists of America “is going to be a big issue, in part because that’s the platform that Democrats are running on,” he said.
A transition is underway in the final days of summer as both parties push past internal fights over the direction of their parties and begin the sprint to the general election.
As they turn to the fall, a rigid split screen has emerged featuring fundamentally different campaign messages to win over voters.
Which version they choose will decide whether Republican President Donald Trump and his party maintain full control of Washington for the next two years.