Associated Press/Jacquelyn Martin
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens as President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018
- A top White House official reportedly said Saturday that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas might lose his re-election bid because he's not "likable" enough.
- The Office of Management and Budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, said it's "a very real possibility" that Republicans will lose a Senate seat in Texas.
- He added that a groundswell of "hate" against President Donald Trump has made for a tough battleground for some Republican candidates in the 2018 midterm elections.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas might not be "likable" enough to win his re-election bid in November against his Democratic opponent, Beto O'Rourke, a top Trump advisor reportedly said on Saturday.
Mick Mulvaney, the Office of Management and Budget chief, made the remarks at a private meeting with Republican officials and donors, The New York Times reported.
"Do people like you? That's a really important question," Mulvaney said, according to The Wall Street Journal, which obtained an audio recording of his remarks. "There's a very real possibility we will win a race for Senate in Florida and lose a race in Texas for Senate."
Mulvaney was referring to Cruz's campaign in Texas, and that of Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is running for Senate in a tight race against the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson.
"I don't think it's likely, but it's a possibility," Mulvaney added. "How likable is a candidate? That still counts."
Mulvaney and Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, expressed their concerns that a groundswell of "hate" towards President Donald Trump is undermining Republican candidates in their midterm election campaigns.
But Mulvaney argued that the so-called "blue wave" that some expect will turn the House of Representatives over to Democrats' control will fall short of an actual wave election.
"I am a child of the last wave election," Mulvaney said, referring to the 2010 midterms, in which he won his House seat. "Folks always ask me, 'Is this going to be the same thing for Democrats as it was for Republicans in 2010?' The answer is, 'No it's not.'"