“…Rep.-elect Dan Bishop didn’t just overcome his Democrat opponent’s two-year head start and millions of dollars in out-of-state money. He also outperformed the GOP candidate’s 2018 efforts by 2 points — quite a different narrative from what the cable news pundits want voters to believe and great news for Republican prospects next year.
House Republicans are now 3-0 in special elections this cycle and, in all three races, the GOP nominee outperformed the 2018 result. In Pennsylvania’s 12th and North Carolina’s 3rd districts, Republicans even outperformed President Donald Trump’s 2016 numbers.
Our current GOP strategy is focused on two truths that spell disaster for Democratic prospects in 2020. First, House Democrats’ socialist agenda is wildly unpopular with voters and will be an anchor around the necks of their candidates in swing districts. Second, President Trump is the single most effective surrogate and turnout machine for the Republican Party.
Republicans came into the special election in North Carolina’s 9th with a unified message: Dan McCready, the Democratic nominee, was a political insider who supported Washington Democrats’ socialist agenda. This narrative was amplified by complementary messaging from the Bishop campaign, the National Republican Congressional Committee and conservative outside groups. This successful message discipline increased the effectiveness of the overall effort and provides a powerful roadmap for how Republicans can create compelling narratives in 2020 races…”