White House tempers hopes of retaining House control

In a memo to senior officials, political director Bill Stepien concedes the party’s prospects are ‘challenging.’

By ALEX ISENSTADT 10/27/2018 03:01 PM EDT

The White House is lowering expectations that Republicans will maintain control of the House in the midterm elections — while positioning President Donald Trump to claim credit for any seats his party gains in the Senate.

White House political director Bill Stepien wrote a three-page memo this week in which he outlined the political landscape confronting the GOP and bluntly warned that the party’s prospects for the House are “challenging.”

“House Republicans’ goal this year is to minimize their losses,” he wrote in the memo, which was distributed to senior administration officials. A copy was obtained by POLITICO.

The warning comes as Republicans try to preserve a 23-seat majority, with dozens of GOP-held seats at risk in the Nov. 6 election. Many Republican officials concede their path to retaining their grip on the speaker’s gavel is narrow and believe they will suffer their greatest losses in suburban areas, where the president has proven to be a drag on GOP candidates.

But in the memo, Stepien attempted to divert blame from Trump toward several other factors which he said made a “traditionally challenging year even more difficult.”

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/27/trump-2018-elections-midterms-congress-943449