The White House on Monday argued that even a Republican takeover of the Senate in the 2014 midterms would not send as clear a message as the electoral outcome in a presidential year.
“It would not be wise to draw as broad a conclusion about the outcome of this election as you would from a national presidential election, simply by virtue of the map and the states where this contest is taking place,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, trying to minimize the fallout from elections expected to be unkind to President Obama’s party.
“The vast majority of [Senate contests] are taking place in states the president did not win in the last presidential election,” Earnest argued. “The electorate is different this time than it is in a traditional presidential election.”
However, Obama built his political brand by suggesting that he could bridge the divide between blue and red states, casting himself as a transformational political figure who would alter perceptions of Washington.
The White House in 2008 trumpeted electoral victories in Indiana and North Carolina, among other places typically not hospitable to Democrats.
Even while attempting to take the sting out of potential losses, Earnest acknowledged that the midterms are “significantly important” and predicted that Democrats would retain control of the Senate.
Republicans are expected to win the Senate majority either on Tuesday or possibly during runoff elections later this year.
