Two-Thirds of Republicans in Competitive Midterm Races Are Distancing Themselves From Trump, Reuters Review Finds

Republican candidates in most of this year’s competitive congressional races are putting some space between themselves and President Donald Trump, according to a Reuters review of voting records, public statements and campaign materials published Wednesday.

Reuters found that candidates in 41 of 62 competitive U.S. House and Senate races have broken with Trump on at least one policy question or have played down their connection to him ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The review described the moves as issue-specific rather than a rejection of Trump’s broader agenda, with candidates trying to reach independent voters without openly splitting from the party’s leader.

Iran and data centers lead the breaks

Straightforward policy disagreements were the most common form of distance, appearing in 23 of the 62 races, according to Reuters. The sharpest single split involved the war with Iran: in 12 contests, vulnerable Republicans either voted to limit Trump’s war powers or publicly called for the fighting to end, as higher gasoline prices and household costs weigh on voters.

Artificial intelligence infrastructure produced another dividing line. Reuters identified three candidates in competitive races who criticized data-center projects or sought to slow them, even though Trump supports faster development of the facilities.

The review arrives alongside weak national numbers for the president. Reuters cited polling that put Trump’s approval rating at 32% and showed registered voters favoring Democrats over Republicans 44% to 37% ahead of the midterms, with Democrats also leading among independents, 37% to 21%.

Quiet edits and careful balancing acts

For some candidates, the distance is mostly presentational. Reuters found that a dozen candidates removed Trump’s name, image or endorsements from their campaign websites, most of them after they had secured their party’s nomination. Others have skipped his events or avoided saying whether they want him to campaign for them, according to the review.

The balancing act is visible in individual races. In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts criticized Trump’s plan to expand beef imports and then appeared with the president at a rally in the state, according to Reuters. In Iowa, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks criticized the beef-import policy and voted to limit Trump’s Iran war powers, then joined Trump at the White House less than two weeks later for a steel plant announcement in her state, Reuters reported.

The White House pushed back on the idea that the moves weaken the president. Responding to Reuters, White House spokesman Davis Ingle pointed to the administration’s record and described Trump as the party’s leader and its strongest messenger and motivator. Reuters noted that candidates distancing themselves from an unpopular president is a familiar midterm tactic for both parties, even as direct criticism of Trump remained relatively rare in this year’s Republican field.

What happens on Nov. 3 will decide whether Republicans keep control of one or both chambers of Congress, and the review suggests many of the party’s most exposed candidates have concluded that a measure of independence from the president is necessary to survive.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.