Why a GOP midterm shellacking would be good for Trump

The president's party is very likely going to get thumped in November. This will only help him.

President Trump and Nancy Pelosi.
(Image credit: Illustrated | J. Scott Applewhite - Pool/Getty Images)

Does anybody want the Republican Party to hold on to the House this fall? Certainly Speaker Paul Ryan and the 42 other members of the GOP in the lower chamber who have announced that they will not be running for their seats again don't seem to care much.

What's behind this exodus? Part of it is surely that in affluent suburban districts where constituents are fiscally right-wing but moderate to progressive on social issues, there are no compelling reasons in 2018 for Republican voters not to back a Democrat. The frat-boy wing of the GOP understands this, and they're racing for the exits before voters push them out. But, as my colleague Paul Waldman wrote earlier this year, even Republican congressmen in safe-ish seats might not want to stick around beyond 2018 because "being in the minority in the House sucks. It's a total drag ... [Y]ou barely have anything to do besides answer your constituents' complaints, send out fruitless press releases, and plot what you'll do if you're fortunate enough to get back in charge." It's no wonder droves of Republicans are bailing.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.