Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is warning House Republicans that they need to be running scared because a blue wave is coming for them in November.
Speaker Paul Ryan and the National Republican Congressional Committee are less concerned about their battle-tested swing-district members — who face tough races every election cycle — and more worried about complacent Republicans not prepared for a fight.
“This is a very tough environment for Republicans. If you’re getting outraised or if you haven’t started your campaign yet, you need to be scared and start today,†said Corry Bliss, executive director of the Ryan-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund. “Saying ‘I’ve never lost before, therefore I can never lose this time’ is not a campaign plan.â€
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Democrats found themselves in the situation that Republicans are today in 2010 and 2012. Democrats had come off of two successful election cycles in 2006 and 2008, and they were not prepared for the wave that swept Republicans into the House in 2010, by the time that many incumbent Democrats realized what was coming, it was too late. There are some people who after the events of 2016 still don’t want to allow themselves to believe that a blue wave is coming, but the election results since Trump took office are concrete proof that a wave is building.
It doesn’t take any profound analysis to explain what is going to happen to House Republicans who don’t take the blue wave seriously. They are going to lose their seats in November.
Paul Ryan’s warning is too late. Any incumbent Republican who hasn’t been building a campaign team and raising money is already behind the eight ball. Republicans see the wave coming, Democrats see the wave coming, and there may be nothing that anyone can do to stop it from sweeping Democrats back into power this November.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
