WASHINGTON — Donald Trump may have blazed through the March 15 primaries capturing four states, but he is a “straightjacket that Senate Republicans won’t be able to wriggle out,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer Wednesday during a press conference at the Democratic National Committee.
Trump added 34 more delegates when he captured Illinois, Missouri , Florida and North Carolina on Tuesday night. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who had the more endorsements, dropped out after a loss in Florida, his home state. Trump barely edged Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in Missouri where a recount is possible.
The New York real estate mogul’s candidacy is a downfall for the GOP and increases the chance of Democrats winning more seats in congressional districts and the Senate, according to Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer said Trump and the very conservative Cruz are the top contenders for the GOP nomination.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján D-N.M., said said congressional districts that seemed out of reach for Democratic candidates now seem winnable because Trump-style politics will turn off some voters.
Trump has a high disapproval rating among Hispanics, according to a Gallup poll — likely due in part to his characterization of some Mexican immigrants as drug traffickers and rapists.
In general, there is a “shift toward a nation in which no group is the majority”, according to demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution, from his book “Diversity Explosion.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said the tea party movement, which surged in 2010, set stage for rise of Trump with harsh rhetoric and divisive campaigns.
