President Trump predicted that “good Republican candidates” will win in 2018, excusing the recent Republican losses in Alabama and Virginia.
“Remember, the Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional races this year,” Trump tweeted Saturday night. “In Senate, I said Roy M would lose in Alabama and supported Big Luther Strange - and Roy lost. Virginia candidate was not a ‘Trumper,’ and he lost. Good Republican candidates will win BIG!”
Remember, the Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional races this year. In Senate, I said Roy M would lose in Alabama and supported Big Luther Strange - and Roy lost. Virginia candidate was not a “Trumper,” and he lost. Good Republican candidates will win BIG!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017
Democrats have rallied back from a frustrating 2016 with a string of state and local election victories in 2017, which have emboldened the party's 2018 midterm forecast.
Notably, Democrats won critical contests in Virginia, where Democrat Ralph Northam beat Republican Ed Gillespie for the governor, and in Alabama, where Democrat Doug Jones upset Republican Roy Moore in the special election for U.S. Senate after Moore's image was damaged by accusations of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago.
Trump has dismissed these two elections because Gillespie "did not embrace" him and in Alabama because he originally predicted Moore would not be able to win a general election, but eventually came around in a push to avoid losing a Republican seat in the Senate.
