Trump, GOP Escalate Personal Attacks in Final 3 Days of Midterm Campaign
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Trump, GOP Escalate Personal Attacks in Final 3 Days of Midterm Campaign
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Summary
Republicans entered the final days of the midterms leaning on false and deeply personal attacks against Democratic candidates, with Trump amplifying the tone as the party tries to blunt voter anger over rising prices.
In Kansas, Senator Roger Marshall baselessly said his Democratic opponent was “probably ... grooming” children; in Michigan, Trump called Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a “vicious, violent jihadist.”
Texas Republicans have also portrayed Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico as a “freak,” while insinuating he is gay, secretly vegan and fixated on transgender children because of past supportive comments.
The attacks have drawn little internal resistance, though some Republicans have voiced alarm; former Senator Jeff Flake said the party had become “more crass and crude and vulgar” and called the latest turn “a new level.”