Retiring Rep. Ryan Costello, R-Pa., said on Tuesday he believes President Trump had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006.
Asked by Katy Tur whether he believes Daniels is “telling the truth,” Costello replied, “I think she is.”
According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday, 56 percent of voters share Costello’s opinion. The survey, conducted March 26 to 27 immediately following the porn star’s sit-down interview with Anderson Cooper, found only 9 percent of voters don’t think Trump and Daniels had an affair. Perhaps more importantly, 46 percent said “the Stormy Daniels matter” does not actually “make much difference either way” in their view of Trump’s favorability.
Costello, of course, is able to speak more freely than other members of Congress without the threat of a looming reelection battle. In announcing his retirement on Sunday, he cited the Daniels story as one factor that makes it “very difficult to move forward in a constructive way today.”
But how will other midterm candidates handle questions like Tur’s?
Only 15 percent of Trump voters and 16 percent of Republicans in the poll said they do not believe Daniels; Fifty-six percent and 54 percent responded “Don’t Know/No opinion” respectively. With Daniels’ hearing set for mid-July, the issue is sure to bleed into general election contests.
Do Republican candidates agree with what most voters appear to believe, even if it involves the president and head of their party engaging in an extramarital affair with a porn star? Is it acceptable for members to say they don’t know, even when most believe it happened? Point blank questions about whether or not they believe Daniels won’t be easy for Republican candidates to answer. But given that such a sizable chunk of voters don’t seem to care, those answers might not matter much anyway.
