Riding high in polls, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has begun to expand her electoral focus with a simultaneous push for Democratic control of the Senate and reduced Republican lead in the House of Representatives.
With a slew of polls projecting that she has a firm hold on the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency, Clinton at her campaign rallies has started looking beyond Donald Trump by targeting Republicans in Congressional races.
This is in sharp contrast to the Republican field where a good number of Senate and House contestants have opted to keep the trailing Trump at an arm’s length, concerned as they are that his rhetoric and recent difficulties such as sexual misconduct accusations could end up hurting their races.
As of Monday morning, The New York Times projected that Clinton has a 93 per cent chance to win the White House race. A Reuters/Ipsos poll said she has a 95 per cent chance of capturing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency. Nationally, Clinton continues with her around 6 per cent lead over Trump in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
With such an overall lead and a near-unanimous projection of its chances, the Clinton campaign is a picture of confidence even while asserting that it is not taking the results for granted. As for the increased focus on Congressional races, Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook said: “We’re running a coordinated campaign, working hard with gubernatorial, Senate and House candidates.”
Trump continues to be in a state of denial on polls unfavourable to him. “We’re winning and the press is refusing to report it. Don’t let them fool you – get out and vote!” he tweeted on Monday morning. Asserting the Democrats are making up phony polls in order to suppress the Trump votes, he proclaimed in another tweet: “We are going to WIN!”
But Trump’s own campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, admitted Clinton was ahead. “We’re behind. She has some advantages,” Conway conceded on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, but added: “We’re not giving up. We know we can this.”
Clinton’s advantages that Conway cited included the fact that several top Democratic figures are campaigning for her, including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
For Trump, it is largely a one-man effort, with the top Republican – House Speaker Paul Ryan – distancing himself earlier this month after the emergence of the controversial 2005 tape in which he (Trump) had been caught making lewd remarks about women.
Thanks to the big lead in polls, Clinton has started focusing on traditional Republican States like Arizona, Texas, Georgia and Utah that are now deemed to be in a state of play since Trump is either tied or has a negligible lead. With such a push, Clinton will not only be able to embarrass Trump on home turf, but can force him to spend less time in the competitive battleground States.
The Clinton campaign dispatched Michelle Obama to campaign in Arizona. It has also set apart $2 million for its television blitz in the State, where Republican Senator John McCain is seeking re-election. Significantly, McCain is among the lawmakers who have withdrawn their endorsement of Trump and are confining the campaigning to their own Congressional races.