House Republicans are preparing to target vulnerable Democratic incumbents running in districts won by Donald Trump in 2020 who have avoided commenting on the former president’s guilty verdict in his New York criminal case.
Several Democratic lawmakers were quick to seize on Trump’s 34-count conviction last week, attacking the former president as a felon who is unfit for office. However, some members from districts that are likely to back Trump’s reelection bid in November have remained silent, prompting Republicans to challenge them on the issue.
“Trump-district Democrats are hiding in the bushes refusing to comment on their party’s weaponization of the justice system to convict President Trump because they endorse Joe Biden’s kangaroo court,” said Will Reinert, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Unfortunately for these ultra-vulnerable Democrats, voters will be issuing the final verdict, and it will include a sentence that sends them into retirement from Congress.”
There are five House Democrats seeking reelection in districts won by Trump in 2020. That means those lawmakers will need to win over voters who are likely to back the former president in November in districts that are considered to be some of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) was the first of the five to weigh in, releasing a statement shortly after the verdict that he respects the jury’s decision, noting it would likely influence how the district would vote in the presidential election.
“In this case, former President Trump has had his day in court and has been found guilty by a jury of his peers. I respect the jury’s decision,” he said. “As to the many questions I’ve received about the politics of this decision, let me say this: As of today, Donald Trump is the Republican candidate for president. I have no doubt that information about this verdict will feature in the campaign. I trust the people of Maine with their votes.”
Other lawmakers tiptoed around the issue, expressing their support for the legal process while being careful not to attack Trump directly.
“My focus is on constituents and bringing home transformative investments to help our region thrive,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said in a statement. “I respect the legal process and rule of law, which is foundational to American life. The most important outcome of this entire situation must yield a UNITED States of America. Unity not division is in our nation’s best interest.”
Meanwhile, House Democrats are also planning to weaponize Trump’s conviction against vulnerable Republicans, targeting incumbents in Biden-won districts for similarly declining to comment on the verdict.
However, some Republican lawmakers were quick to decry the criminal conviction, hoping Trump’s claim that he is the victim of a political prosecution will resonate in their states and districts.
Even before Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records, Democrats were planning to tie Republicans in swing districts to what they call the former president’s “MAGA extremism.” The strategy is credited with blunting a red wave in the midterm elections last year.
But the conviction has given them fresh ammunition to attack those Republicans, suggesting they are undermining the rule of law with their support for Trump.
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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee unveiled a new campaign this week targeting Biden-district Republicans who have expressed support for Trump in the wake of his conviction, accusing them of “bending the knee” to the former president.
“If these so-called moderates won’t hold Trump accountable for 34 felonies, how can the American public expect them to stand up to him as he attacks access to contraception, denies the election, and promises to rule as a dictator on Day One?” said DCCC spokesman Viet Shelton.