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New reporting from CNN this weekend highlights vulnerable Republicans Mike Garcia, John Duarte, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer for digging in on their support for 34-time convicted felon Donald Trump.
While new polling shows that nearly two thirds of Americans believe Trump is guilty, the Biden-won district Republicans are “effectively gambling that swing voters won’t punish them for backing a felon at the top of the ticket.”
In response, Democratic challengers are highlighting their opponents continuing to put Trump before their constituents.
After Mike Garcia reiterated his belief that Trump was “pro-law enforcement,” former NASA Chief of Staff and current Democratic challenger George Whitesides argued “the people of the 27th District of California have huge concerns” about Garcia’s clear disrespect for the rule of law.
DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
“By doubling down on Trump and his endless attacks on the rule of law, Mike Garcia, John Duarte, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer have proven they are far more focused on placating Trump and undermining the justice system than getting things done on behalf of families in their districts.”
Read more below.
CNN: Endangered Republicans gamble backing Trump after guilty verdict as vulnerable Democrats remain cautious
Manu Raju and Annie Grayer | June 9, 2024
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Former President Donald Trump lost Rep. Mike Garcia’s district by more than 12 points four years ago. And that was before he was convicted on 34 felony charges.
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But that doesn’t mean the California Republican is abandoning Trump.
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“No,” Garcia said when asked if the conviction shook his confidence in his party’s standard bearer.
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Garcia is hardly alone. In many bellwether districts that will determine the next House majority, including in the 19 GOP districts Biden carried in 2020, Republicans are quickly falling in line behind Trump.
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“My district is full of very smart people with a firm grasp of reality,” said Rep. John Duarte, a fellow California Republican whose district Biden carried by 13 points four years ago. “They can smell bullsh*t.”
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House Democratic leaders say they are more than happy that vulnerable Republicans have defended Trump after the guilty verdict.
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“I think the ones who fall in line are Republicans who seem to do everything to show their blind loyalty to Donald Trump,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state, who chairs the House Democrats’ campaign arm. “People want folks who are going to stand up for their communities, who are going to stand up to govern, and who are true voices for their community.”
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George Whitesides, the Democratic candidate seeking to defeat Garcia in the fall, said that his GOP foe’s handling of Trump’s conviction is an issue he will hammer home.
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“It is remarkable that Mike Garcia who says he’s supportive of the American law enforcement system has no concerns of someone who has been convicted of 34 felonies,” Whitesides said. “I can tell you the people of the 27th District of California have huge concerns about it.”
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Several other vulnerable members made clear where they stood.
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“Well, he’s the Republican nominee. I’m the Republican,” said Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whose Oregon district Biden won by eight points in 2020, confirming she’s sticking with Trump after his conviction.
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In the days following Trump’s conviction, Republicans have brought forward an onslaught of proposals, including to defund federal and state prosecutions targeting Trump, threatening a government shutdown and a longshot impeachment of Biden.
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