Two-thirds of Republican candidates distancing themselves from Trump before midterms, new poll finds

Two-thirds of Republican candidates running for the House and Senate have broken with President Donald Trump on key policy matters or sought to minimize their associations with him.

An analysis by Reuters, which examined voting records, campaign materials, and public statements across 62 high-stakes races ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, identified 41 candidates attempting to create space between themselves and the administration as the president’s low popularity threatens the party’s congressional majorities.

Rather than explicitly renouncing his broader political platform, these contenders have largely focused their disagreement on specific issues.

The strategy appears designed to appeal to independent voters while avoiding a complete break with the leader of their party.

Policy disagreements emerged as the most frequent area of contention, surfacing in 23 of the 62 competitive contests.

In 12 of those races, the friction centered on the conflict with Iran. Several vulnerable Republicans voted to restrict the president’s war powers or publicly urged an end to fighting that has inflated gas prices and squeezed household budgets.

Disagreements have also surfaced over data center development. Despite the president advocating for accelerated construction, three candidates in tightly contested races have voiced opposition to or attempted to delay such facilities.

This wave of defiance is striking given that Trump has spent the last decade reshaping the Republican Party around himself, routinely punishing dissidents through primary challenges, personal attacks, and public pressure to fall into line.

Addressing the findings, White House spokesman Davis Ingle highlighted the administration’s record, maintaining that Trump remains “the unequivocal leader, best messenger and unmatched motivator” for the party.

Although media reports have previously detailed isolated instances of candidates stepping back from the administration, the analysis offers the first systematic assessment of the pattern across the battleground races that will determine control of either or both chambers of Congress.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey highlighted the political challenge facing Republicans: Trump’s approval rating remained stuck at a career low of 32 percent, while registered voters favored Democrats over Republicans 44 percent to 37 percent ahead of the midterms. Among independent voters, the Democratic advantage expanded to 37 percent against 21 percent.

The effort to play down ties takes various forms. A dozen candidates scrubbed the president’s name, image, or endorsements from their campaign websites, frequently doing so after securing their party’s nomination.

Others have chosen more understated tactics, such as skipping appearance opportunities alongside him or declining to say whether he should campaign on their behalf.

Direct public criticism remains relatively rare, reflecting the risk of openly challenging a president who still commands the loyalty of many ardent supporters.

Distancing oneself from an unpopular president prior to an election is not unusual, with Democrats employing similar tactics in the 2014 and 2022 contests.

Nevertheless, political analysts noted that Trump has seldom encountered such widespread pushback from vulnerable Republican candidates.

“(Candidates) are reflecting voter attitudes in these races,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. “If (voters) are not with Trump, then they need to show a break.”

In private conversations, campaign advisers indicated that candidates needed to dial back ties to Trump to attract independent voters, even as they publicly dismissed criticism of the repositioning.

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, who faces a tough challenge from independent Dan Osborn, exemplifies the 11 candidates identified who broke with Trump on a single policy issue while backing him on everything else.

The balancing act was on display this week when Ricketts, who criticized Trump’s plan to expand beef imports, joined the president at a Nebraska rally.

“President Trump, I have been fighting for you in Washington,” Ricketts told the crowd.

In Iowa, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks has similarly demonstrated an increasing willingness to break with the administration in one of the country’s most competitive House races. Identified as one of 12 candidates splitting with Trump on multiple issues, she criticized his beef-import policy and later voted to limit his war powers in Iran after previously opposing similar measures.

Yet, less than two weeks after her war-powers vote, Miller-Meeks joined Trump at the White House to announce a major steel plant investment in Iowa.

“It is a balancing act,” said Republican consultant Jeanette Hoffman, adding that candidates are trying to capitalize on the administration’s successes while creating some distance from Trump because of “how toxic the Trump brand is at the moment.”

As Republicans in competitive races seek to expand their appeal beyond core supporters, some candidates have begun dialing back public displays of loyalty to the president.

Mike Beltran, a former Florida state representative running against Democratic US Representative Kathy Castor, is among the candidates who have scrubbed prominent references to Trump from their campaign websites.

In August, his homepage featured a photo of Trump and said he stood with the president, according to the Wayback Machine archive. Now Beltran’s homepage displays only him and his family, omitting any mention of Trump.

Beltran’s campaign had no immediate response to a request for comment.

Representative Mike Lawler of New York, facing one of the most competitive US House races, embodies the balancing act confronting many Republicans in battleground districts: staying close to Trump while demonstrating independence from him.

Lawler has highlighted breaks with Trump on issues including temporary legal protections for Haitian immigrants and a Trump-backed proposal to restore Turkey’s access to F-35 fighter jets.

His campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said Lawler acts on behalf of his constituency regardless of a president’s stance.

Lawler acknowledged the disagreements in a speech to Trump supporters at the Republican midterm convention in September, saying, “The truth is that the president and I don’t always agree. And that’s OK.”