[Global Column] The Republican Party Shaken Alongside Trump

Kim Dong-seok, CEO of KAGC

With two weeks remaining until the U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump's chances of reelection are becoming increasingly doubtful. The Trump campaign is also shaking nervously. Reports have emerged that Bill Stepien, the campaign manager responsible for the election campaign, described the situation as "darkly pessimistic" in a private conversation, causing unrest among staff.

Republican lawmakers are also wavering. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and a U.S. Senator, has even predicted that the president could lose the White House. Senator Ben Sasse from Nebraska has been even more blunt. At a recent town hall event with about 20,000 voters, Sasse criticized President Trump's failures almost to the point of exposing them.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Majority Leader who has not visited the White House even once since the COVID-19 pandemic began, said he would not consider the large-scale emergency relief bill favored by the president. Over the past four years, McConnell has rarely broken ranks with President Trump during major legislative processes. However, his reluctance to support the multi-trillion-dollar stimulus bill decided by Trump appears to reflect public sentiment that such support would not help in the Senate elections held alongside this presidential election.

Attention focused on the presidential race is shifting to the Senate elections held concurrently. The Republican Party, currently holding a slim majority of three seats, is trying to maintain its majority status, but public anger toward the ruling party is beyond imagination.

In this federal Senate election, which will replace 35 seats, 23 are held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. If Trump had shown a normal presidential demeanor, it would not have been difficult for the Republicans to maintain their majority. Of the 23 seats up for election, only two are in Democratic states. There are also two Democratic Senate seats in Republican states. This means that even if they only held their ground, Republicans had the potential to increase their seats by two.

The proportion of voters who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction has reached a record high of 75%, and Trump's approval rating is at an all-time low. There is also a surprising surge in Democratic support in traditionally Republican states, such as Texas and Georgia.

This situation has sounded an "emergency bell" for Republican senators facing elections. They are confronted with a frightening shift in public sentiment against President Trump in their own constituencies.

The districts of senators who have maintained close ties with President Trump are even more hostile. Most of these are heavyweight politicians who used to be reelected automatically even with their eyes closed. The top-ranking Republicans?McConnell, John Cornyn, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham?are fiercely pursued by Democratic candidates. We may not see them in the newly convened Congress.

Senator Susan Collins (Maine), whose race has already tilted, has declared she will not vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court nominee appointed by Trump.

Cory Gardner (Colorado), vice-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Asia-Pacific Subcommittee and a frequent visitor to South Korea, is also facing the risk of losing his seat. Gardner's poor performance, despite being recognized as an experienced politician, is purely due to Trump.

Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa) saw her reelection campaign falter as COVID-19 infections surged in her district. Senator Martha McSally (Arizona) is also nearly exhausted from the Democratic candidate's pursuit. Tom Tillis (North Carolina) met Trump at the White House, contracted COVID-19, wasted ten days during the campaign, and began to fall behind in the polls. Senators Steve Daines (Montana) and David Perdue (Georgia) are also gradually losing ground to their Democratic opponents.

If President Trump's approval rating does not noticeably improve, the Republican Party will face a truly miserable November. Two weeks is too short a time to raise approval ratings.

Kim Dong-seok, Representative of the Korean American Grassroots Coalition (KAGC)