ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Leonard Lance is a Republican congressman seeking re-election in a Republican district. But he has little to say about the Republican president. Lance’s campaign website, which outlines his positions on immigration, taxes and other hot issues, offers no statement of support for President Donald Trump. On his Twitter and Facebook accounts, Lance has offered no plaudits this year for the president. When he does reference Trump, he’s more likely to note their differences. He’s co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to restrict the president’s power to impose tariffs on imports and to require reunification of immigrant children and parents separated after being caught crossing the southern border. He’s also touted his support for gun control…Yet Lance’s approach also reflects a broader reality. November’s congressional elections are widely viewed as a referendum on the president, and in the well-heeled, reliably Republican suburbs in North Jersey where Lance is running, there’s not a lot of love for Donald Trump. It’s a challenge faced by Republican candidates in similar districts nationwide who are trying to capture the moderate-to-conservative voters they need to win.”
–Peter Eisler, Jason Lange, Sharon Bernstein, Tim Reid, “Special Report: The Trump trap – Republicans duck president in key House races,” Reuters, October 5, 2018 3:08 am