Breaking with the President is considered a big no-no for senators looking to Trump for help with reelection.
When it comes to President Donald Trump’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, GOP senators maintain he’s done, and continues to do, a tremendous job.
With more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases and 76,000 deaths in the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus, GOP senators in critical swing states, like Arizona’s Sen. Martha McSally, continue to praise Trump for his response to the pandemic.
A pandemic that has left the country in one of the worst economic depressions since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Despite this, and despite the continual spike in cases and deaths, the GOP is joining Trump in his initiative to push for reopening the economy.
RELATED: People Will Be Hurt: Trump Calls For Americans to Risk Health to Salvage Economy
Nearly all GOP senators like McSally running for reelection have decided there’s little utility in breaking with the president–particularly after seeing some fellow Republicans collapse at the ballot box with such a strategy. And if the economy recovers and the virus dissipates by the fall, Republicans could benefit by sticking with Trump.
Trump’s approval ratings have been stable during the coronavirus, with Gallup showing him close to 50 percent at one point this spring. However, in other polls, the public views his guidance during the coronavirus crisis as harmful.
Most recently, Trump told Arizonans and Americans to be warriors and sacrifice themselves so the economy can reopen. The president faced backlash for that comment, as well as for not wearing a mask during his visit.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal investigation into a medical supply company, Blue Flame Medical, owned by a former consultant to McSally, Mike Gulu, after it failed to deliver personal protective equipment it was under contract to provide.
And as McSally worked on behalf of the president this week, Arizona’s other senator, Kyrsten Sinema, continued to work on behalf of small businesses and funding for community behavioral health.
Overall, many Republicans see their own political fortunes tied to the president’s, amid a global pandemic that will dominate both the presidential race and the battle for the Senate over the next six months; however, there are some in the party who are choosing to break from this new norm.
RELATED: Here Is the Lincoln Project Political Ad That Made Trump So Angry
Looking for the latest Arizona news in this time of crisis? Sign up for our daily newsletter and have it delivered straight to your inbox.
Alicia Barrón Alicia Barrón is a Reporter for Copper Courier and The Americano. She's from the border town of Nogales, Arizona and has worked in journalism for 20 years, starting at 3TV/azfamily. Most recently, she was a staff writer at Upworthy and BuzzFeed.
