Former Republican advisor Matt Gorman warned Wednesday on NBC News that the GOP’s wins in down-ballot races could shrink “dramatically” if Vice President Kamala Harris were to win in key swing states.
During a panel with NBC host Kristen Welker, Gorman discussed Harris pulling ahead of Trump in key swing states that are crucial for the former president to win a second term. After seeing a map showing Harris leading Trump in five of seven swing states, Gorman advised Republicans to focus on “getting her and the campaign back on its heels,” because a poor showing in swing states could hurt Republicans down-ballot.
“It’s stunning to see all of these battleground states now in the blue. Clearly, within the margin of error. I mean, these are toss-up states, but the momentum had shifted so dramatically,” Welker said.
“It really has, and look, I think this is why I would caution too, as Republicans, it’s not just about an interview. Because eventually she will do one and then all of a sudden the media [will be] like, ‘Okay, thank you, and we’re good.’ It kind of takes away the talking point. The key has to be getting her and the campaign back on its heels a little bit. Where at least, historically, she’s proven less adept in these kind of scenarios where she can control every variable,” Gorman said. “Also, what that also means is down-ballot the Senate map shrinks dramatically, the House race map shrinks dramatically. You talk about abortion in the last block, the ballot measure in New York. That’s not about, you know, really abortion access — New York is fine in that regard. That’s the trying to take five or so House seats off the board through turnout.”
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Several Republicans — including businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and ex-White House aide Peter Navarro — have publicly voiced their advice for the former president to focus on policy instead of slamming Harris with personal attacks, according to CNBC.
Harris’s campaign has gained notable momentum within the Democratic Party, despite not having formally addressed the media to clarify her campaign platform since she became the presumptive presidential nominee after President Joe Biden stepped down on July 21. A recent Pew Research Center poll shows Harris leading Trump with 46% of voters supporting her if the election were held today, compared to 45% for Trump and 7% for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
