It’s still questionable whether a wave will swamp the GOP in the November elections. The generic congressional ballot [1] seems to indicate it might happen. Special election results also seem to say Republican House incumbents should be wary of what’s to come.
Virginia Democrats have reason to hope the wave is on its way. A March Wason Center poll showed [2] voters very open to the idea of tossing Republican incumbents in favor of unnamed Democratic challengers.
Highest on that poll’s endangered list: Virginia 7th Congressional District Rep. Dave Brat.
It’s been a few weeks since the Wason Center data was released. What has Brat done in the meantime to shore-up his reelection campaign?
He’s been making the national GOP media rounds, talking to Fox News about illegal immigration and the federal budget. He’s been touring the district talking about the tax cut package [3] Congress approved. He’s also talked up his support for a balanced budget amendment [4] and entitlement reform.
In short, Brat is talking about the issues that helped him defeat then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 — not necessarily the issues that will help him win reelection in 2018.
The Post’s Paul Schwartzman profiled [5] the Brat race, talking with folks inside and outside the district about the congressman’s chances in the general.
Continue reading here [6].