*As Trump Vows To Veto Bills If Democrats Win Congress
*I Guess I’ll Become Mr. Veto. I’m Not Going To Let Them Ruin It…And Then At Some Point, We’ll Probably Make Deals. That’s What’s Happened. I Mean, This Wouldn’t Be The First Time – Trump
*Exit Polls Show Americans’ Unhappiness With Higher Gas, Other Prices, Iran War, Are Reasons Why Opposition Democrats Are Coasting To Victory
Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas bested Republican John Sununu Tuesday to become America’s first-ever openly gay male senator and keep the party’s winning streak going in the Granite State (New Hampshire).
The nationwide polling suggests Republicans risk losing both the House and Senate, which would derail Trump’s legislative priorities and nominations while miring his final two years in office in congressional investigations.
Pappas, 46, had been favored to win the race to succeed retiring three-term Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), but tighter-than-expected polling over the summer and into early fall prompted national Democrats to pump more cash into the race. America does not buy voters or bribe electoral officials, it must be acknowledged.
Sununu, 62, had been the most recent Republican to hold the seat following his defeat of Shaheen, then the state’s governor, in 2002 — only for her to get her revenge in a rematch six years later.
The son of one popular Republican governor and the brother of another, the GOP (Republican Party) nominee (Sununu ) was accused by Pappas of trying to trick voters into thinking they were backing Sununu’s younger sibling, Chris, by distributing yard signs reading “Sununu Senator.”
“Look, if people thought they were voting for me, my brother would be up by 30 points. Come on,” Chris Sununu quipped to CNN when asked about the dynamic last week.
Despite his popular family name, Sununu faced significant national headwinds due to affordability concerns, President Trump’s sagging approval rating, the high cost of gas, and unease about the conflict in Iran.
In one of his closing campaign ads, Sununu stressed that despite Pappas attempting to portray him as President Trump’s “long-lost son,” the Republican said he had “never even met the man” and stood by an op-ed he once wrote describing Trump as a “loser.”
While Republicans have dominated the New Hampshire legislature and governorship over the past decade, they’ve struggled to break through in federal races. The Granite State hasn’t voted for a GOP presidential candidate since 2000, hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 2010 and last returned a GOP congressman in 2014.
Pappas, a Harvard-educated descendant of Greek immigrants, is part-owner of the popular Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, which claims to have invented the chicken tender.
While the Democrat campaigned with prominent figures like former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sununu focused on retail politicking — barely even campaigning with his brother.
“There’s really no need to campaign with anyone else,” he explained to The New York Post. “In New Hampshire, they want to meet the candidate. You go town to town, person to person.”
Why Democrats Are Coasting To Win Congress
Exit poll results released Tuesday evening were ominous for Republicans — with 71% of voters saying Congress must do more to check President Trump and 62% blaming him for higher prices.
The early findings by the Associated Press’s (AP) Voter Poll showed that 75% of voters were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country and more than six in ten disapproved of Trump’s performance.
Trump has urged midterm voters to act as if he’s on the ballot — a notion that the survey suggests could backfire.
The top issue for voters was the economy, at 39%, followed by the fate of democracy, at 32%, according to the Voter Poll, on which major TV networks collaborated with the AP.
At stake is whether Republicans retain control of the House and Senate for the final two years of Trump’s presidency or whether voters return Democrats to power.
The economy historically has been one of Trump’s strongest areas in polling, but he has struggled to counter the impact of higher energy prices and interest rates, as well as inflation caused by his war with Iran.
The survey found that 46% of voters had a favorable view of the Democratic Party, compared to 41% who said the same of Republicans.
Trump had a 38% approval rating, with 62% disapproving.
A devastating 61% of voters said that Trump’s priorities were his personal interests, versus 39% who said he put the country’s interests first.
Relatively few voters (16%) said they voted to show support for Trump while 43% said they did so to oppose him and 41% said he wasn’t a factor when voting for congressional and state officials.
Trump Confident Of Running Administration Even If Democrats Win
Trump, however, is likely to continue flexing his authority to issue executive orders and proclaimed to The New York Post in a Friday interview that he would become “Mr. Veto” for Democratic bills.
“I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto. I’m not going to let them ruin it,” Trump said when asked about a possible Democratic wave in the election.
“And then at some point, we’ll probably make deals. That’s what’s happened. I mean, this wouldn’t be the first time.”
Trump sought to sway voters with promises of $5,000 checks if Republicans held control of Congress and argued the economy was thriving, pointing to stock-market records and strong employment, greater foreign investment and new manufacturing plants — though his tariffs were a significant headwind for Republicans in some states, particularly along the Canadian border.
He also campaigned on nearly ending illegal border crossings and presiding over a historic drop in violent crime.
But the Iran war and related economic pain, including high gas and diesel prices, weighed on the Republican campaign efforts.
Renewed momentum toward a peace deal over the weekend and a significant drop in oil prices Monday came at the final moments of the campaign.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Pappas.
