"Republican Party's Midterm Outlook at Its Worst Due to 'Trump Undertow'; Senate Also at Risk"

[Financial News] With no clear way out of the Iran war, surging oil and consumer prices have sent U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating plunging. As a result, the Republican Party's outlook for the November midterm elections is deteriorating rapidly.
U.S. online news outlet Axios wrote in an article published on the 26th local time, titled "The Republican Party's election outlook is going from bad to worst (Craptastic)," that "Republicans across the country are being swept into a powerful undertow triggered by President Trump's low popularity."
It added, "The Republican Party had a bad year throughout, but this week was different. It felt as if the political environment was collapsing in real time, with one ominous indicator after another."
Axios pointed to several factors working against the Republican Party, including opposition to President Trump reaching 60.4%, the highest level across his first and second terms, as well as sharp increases in gasoline and diesel prices, rising food costs and real estate mortgage rates approaching 7%, according to a compilation of various polls.

The Republican Party currently holds a majority in the Senate by only three seats. If it loses four seats in this year's Senate elections, it will surrender control of the chamber to the Democratic Party. Losses in North Carolina and Georgia appear almost certain, while Texas, Florida and Alaska are competitive, and Maine is also considered vulnerable.
For the Democratic Party, this means that control of the Senate, once considered unlikely, is increasingly within reach.
The situation is even more difficult for the Republican Party in the House. The nonpartisan election forecasting organization Cook Political Report classified as many as 15 districts as "Leans Democratic" on the 25th and projected that the Democratic Party is likely to win 220 to 230 seats.
All 435 House seats will be contested again in this year's midterm elections, and 218 seats are needed for a majority.
Charlie Cook, the organization's founder, told Axios, "Many people have long predicted that the Democratic Party would enjoy a 'blue wave' in this election, but I see it instead as a 'red undertow'—a Republican undertow, using the party's signature color of red."
His prediction was that the Democratic Party could win not because its approval rating is high, but because opposition to President Trump and the Republican Party is even stronger.
Cook also said, "Over the past 90 days, President Trump's political standing has gone from 'very unpopular' to 'toxic,' and now it is at a 'radioactive' level."
This appears to be related to Republican candidates increasingly trying to distance themselves from President Trump as they campaign.

Reports have also emerged that farmers, one of the Republican Party's key support bases, are turning away.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 27th that "surging diesel, gasoline and fertilizer prices caused by tariffs and the Iran war, along with President Trump's plan to expand beef imports, have angered American farmers and ranchers and are giving the Democratic Party an opportunity in traditionally Republican strongholds."
Farmers had been loyal supporters of President Trump and the Republican Party for years, but as discontent accumulated over the past year, Trump's approval rating among them reportedly came close to an all-time low.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) told The Wall Street Journal, "If we want to bring rural voters over to the Democratic Party, this is a better situation than we have ever had."
[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs specialist Reporter