Lewandowski: Democrats could do ‘fairly well’ in midterms

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said on Thursday that he could see Democrats doing “fairly well” in November’s midterm elections if they focus on localizing their races and stay away from national figures such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). 

“If this becomes a local election like we saw with Connor Lamb in Pennsylvania — where he really localized the election, he ran away from Nancy Pelosi as a Democrat. He said ‘I’m not really interested in voting for her for the next Speaker,’ then I think the Democrats could do fairly well,” Lewandowski told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton on “Rising.” 

Lewandowski also pushed President Trump to target Pelosi on the campaign trail in the lead up to November, saying a national referendum on Pelosi would benefit Republicans. 

“If it is Donald Trump versus Nancy Pelosi, the president wins that every single time, and that’s what’s going to play out this election cycle,” he said. 

Speculation about a liberal wave in the Democratic Party and the future of Pelosi’s leadership has reached a fever pitch in recent days after progressive New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in the district’s primary on Tuesday. 

Pelosi has dismissed the speculation, saying that the win is not a sign of a national shift within the party, but Lewandowski disagreed.

“They are moving to the extremes,” he said. “They are moving further left.”

— Julia Manchester