RCP’s Sean Trende: ‘Energized’ Base Improving Chance of GOP Keeping House in Midterms

Monday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” RealClearPolitics’ Sean Trende said the Republicans prospects of keeping the majority in the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections had improved significantly. Trende said, “There’s a couple of things going on. I think the good economic news is starting to break through. I think people are starting to question where the Mueller investigation is going. I think it had kept the president down for a while. And I think the tax cuts energized the Republican base and are playing a role in the president’s improving fortunes.” He continued, “Well, I think if you looked six months ago, you would say it was doomsday for the Republicans with the Republican down in the 30s, showing a double-digit lead for Democrats. But that’s just not the world we’re in today. The president is up into the low to mid-40s, and his job approval, he generic ballot has closed to a four-point lead for the Democrats, so I think we’ve gone from Democrats being heavy favorites to take the House to something of a dead heat and maybe a thumb on the scale for the Republicans.” On California, Trende added, “I think it’s