Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shared his grim projection for Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, but don’t believe a word the dude says.
Speaking at a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce luncheon this week, McConnell was asked about how he thought his party might fare in November.
“I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate,” the 80-year-old senator, who has first elected in 1985, said. “Senate races are just different. They’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”
Related: Video of Mitch McConnell falling recirculates after he immediately politicizes RBG’s death
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He continued, “Right now, we have a 50-50 Senate and a 50-50 country, but I think when all is said and done this fall, we’re likely to have an extremely close Senate, either our side up slightly or their side up slightly.”
Naturally, this had a lot of people on the left celebrating. After all, if the chief obstructionist/de facto leader of the Republican party says he doesn’t think his side is going to win in November, it must be a good sign for Democrats, right?
Mitch McConnell has said he doesn’t believe Republicans will win majority in the Senate.
In fact Mitch McConnell it’s becoming clear you may lose 4 to 6 seats.
— Johnathan Ford ?? (@FordJohnathan5) August 19, 2022
Mitch McConnell doesn’t believe republicans will win the senate citing ‘candidate quality’.
Oooh you’re losing, bro ?
— Outspoken™? (@Out5p0ken) August 18, 2022
LMFAO, Bitch McConnell no longer believes winning the Senate is a slam dunk because "candidate quality."
Who else wants to see him RESIGN???
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!?? (@mmpadellan) August 19, 2022
?BREAKING: Mitch McConnell said there’s “probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate.”
He went on to say, “Senate races are just different, they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”?He is literally crapping on GOP candidates.
— D. Earl Stephens ?? (@EarlOfEnough) August 18, 2022
Not so fast.
Moscow Mitch is an evil genius.
While many liberals hear a guy telling his party to brace for defeat in the fall, many conservatives hear something totally different. For them, it’s rallying cry. “Get the hell out and cast those ballots,” McConnell is saying. “Things are extremely close. All we need is one more seat and we’ve got this.”
In other words, it’s a cynical “get out the vote” strategy. And it’s one that tends to work on GOP voters particularly well. (It’s how we ended up with Donald Trump, after all.)
A lot of people are onto this little trick of McConnell’s…
Don't listen to Mitch McConnell. By downplaying Republican odds to retake the Senate, he is trying to lull Democratic voters into a sense of complacency. Don't fall for it. Keep fighting & send him into retirement. After all, he vowed to retire if they don't retake the Senate.
— Henry M. Rosenberg (@DoctorHenryCT) August 18, 2022
Please remember that Moscow Mitch McConnell is one of the greatest evils in US and world history. Literally anything he says is either a lie or a plot, so if he predicts that GQP will lose Senate seats, it’s him trying to get Democrats to be complacent. Do not fall for it.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) August 19, 2022
Why is Mitch McConnell publicly admitting there’s a strong chance Republicans will lose the Senate midterms? He’s perhaps hoping to rally the troops. And win or lose, he needs to come off like he at least knows what’s going on, in order to retain his political relevance.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) August 19, 2022
Don't fall for Mitch McConnell saying they may lose the Senate again. They may lose the Senate but only if we don't get complacent. We need every single vote. Then lets see if he quits like he said he would.?#VoteBlue
— #BBBCrew Joyce Davis (@JoyceSmileBig) August 18, 2022
McConnell is right about one thing. Republicans do have a serious issue with “candidate quality.”
When it comes to U.S. Senate candidates, they’ve nominated accused domestic abuser/ex-NFL star Herschel Walker in Georgia, crudité-loving TV doctor Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania, transphobic Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance in Ohio, and psychotic Trump sycophant Blake Masters in Arizona. All of these guys are cartoon character candidates with zero experience working in government, deeply problematic pasts, and strong anti-LGBTQ leanings.
Related: That time anti-LGBTQ candidate Blake Masters went to the gay wedding of his biggest financial backer
If McConnell really cared about their “quality”, however, he wouldn’t be supporting a bunch of them. He endorsed Walker way back in October, saying he’s “the only one who can unite the party.” And a PAC he’s closely tied to just announced that it will be funnelling $28 million (yes, $28 million) worth of TV and radio ads to support Vance.
Related: J.D. Vance opposes protecting his own interracial marriage because he hates gay people so much
The reality is Democrats are extremely vulnerable and McConnell knows it. The latest projection from gay statistician Nate Silver has Republicans favored to win the House and Democrats only slightly favored to keep the Senate. And with the midterm elections still 80 days away, there’s still plenty of time for those fortunes to change. Even though he says the opposite, McConnell appears to be betting on Republicans squeaking out a victory.
While you’re here, watch McConnell’s super tense sit-down with Axios reporter Jonathan Swan back in April when Swan questioned his “moral red line” in front of a live audience:
.@jonathanvswan asks Mitch McConnell where he draws his moral redlines pic.twitter.com/is7WZqSuhx
— Axios (@axios) April 7, 2022
Jim
The GOP is responsible it’s own demise supporting candidates abhorrent to middle America.
Paris in Santiago
I’m sorry to say that the Republicans are fantastic at getting their base out to vote. I also think that election day and vote counting are going to be under threat from extremists. Democrats really need to get out into communities like Beto Rourke and talk to voters in plain language. Democrats need to focus on the pocket-books and wallets of the average American, and be pro-choice. That’s it. Nothing else.
johncp56
Saggy C!@#$%^&T! we need younger people in these offices, i,m tired of paying for this old KKK guard of old wht republican men mostly, time up boys!! they are like slum lords just say no!! and take there money,
Fname Optional Lname
This, this and THIS!
johncp56
mitch the ass eater, I need to calm myself, just watched the Axios clip again, what a snake this is double talking creep weaves his way around, while Jonathan Swan asked direct questions way he flip flops with a criminal twice impeached, and still being audited for 1/6/21, among his tax evasions,
Fname Optional Lname
It is high time we identified the net worth of all politician’s, they’re length of term in office and which lobbyists have them in their pocket. I would think any poor politician is there because they generally want to improve society/government and actually help people.
Kangol2
Mitch McConnell is an arch-Repuq. He will work with any Repuq who’s elected, whether it’s a fascist traitor like Don the Con or old-style right-wingers like Romney and Murkowski to ram through his agenda and frustrate whatever Democrats come up with. He vowed to make Obama a “one-term” president (McConnell failed) and has gummed up the works for Biden, his longtime colleague, so I put nothing past him. He did get the shock of his life when it turned out that Schumer had outplayed him by getting the GQP to sign onto that vital CHIPs bill to bolster US manufacturing of microchips, and then revealed the secret negotiations with Manchin, paving the way for the Infrastructure Reduction Bill. McCpnnell was gagging at being snookered by Schumer!
abfab
Oh please just choke on a fried green tomato you good for nothing son of a B
scotty
with senators like mitch macconnell and rand paul, it’s no wonder the state of KY is in the sad sad shape it is.
Den
“In other words, it’s a cynical “get out the vote” strategy. And it’s one that tends to work on GOP voters particularly well. (It’s how we ended up with Donald Trump, after all.)”
You seem to have forgotten that Trump lost the popular vote in both his elections, but in the first on he was aided by an artifact of the electoral college. The Electoral college system has no bearing whatsoever in legislative elections. All that matters is how voters feel closer to election day, and many elections depend on the actions of independents, not those with declared party affiliation. Forty one percent of US voters in the 2020 election were independents.