Dold’s “tightrope walking” and partisan past have put him between a rock and a hard place
Republicans like Bob Dold just woke up to a harsh reality: Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s prohibitive nominee. There’s little doubt that the Republican Party is falling apart, and with it, Republican Congressman Bob Dold’s reelection chances.
As Dold twists himself into a pretzel trying to win reelection with Trump on the ballot, remember that even Republican Party strategists say Dold is naïve to think Trump won’t affect his reelection chances.
Dold’s political calculus has become obvious to many. A local columnist wrote on Dold’s “dilemma” by pointing out how he’s desperately “tried to inoculate himself against the Trump attacks,” and he was called out in national press for walking a “tight reelection tightrope.”
Furthermore, Dold’s past as a partisan prosecutor has left him with nowhere to run: Dold’s started his career as investigative counsel for the Republican committee investigating the Clintons, chaired by now-disgraced former Speaker Dennis Hastert.
“After ‘trying to inoculate himself against the Trump attacks,’ Republican Congressman Bob Dold will simply have to face the consequences of sharing a ballot with Trump,” said DCCC Spokeswoman Sacha Haworth. “No matter how much ‘tightrope-walking’ Bob Dold attempts to pull off, he has nowhere to run to.”