Van Hollen: GOP ‘civil war’ in primaries will hinder Republicans in general elections

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on Sunday that a “civil war” in Republican primaries will hinder the GOP in general elections. 

“You’ve got this civil war in these Republican primaries. They flock toward Donald Trump in the primaries. That’s not going to be a winning message for them in the general,” Van Hollen said on ABC News’s “This Week.” 

{mosads}The senator’s comments come after Democrat Doug Jones won the Alabama Senate race last week, becoming the first member of his party to be sent to the upper chamber from his state in 25 years. 

Republican candidate Roy Moore, who was plagued by sexual misconduct allegations, was largely resented among establishment Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 

President Trump and his anti-establishment allies such as Stephen Bannon, however, threw their support behind Moore. 

Van Hollen on Sunday added that the GOP-backed tax-reform legislation will only inflame tensions within the party. 

“This tax giveaway to big corporations that’s going to be paid for by millions of middle-class taxpayers is only going to further inflame those moderate Republicans and bring people over to Democratic candidates.”

Democrats hope the momentum from Alabama’s Senate race, as well as gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, will provide the party’s candidates with momentum to score victories in the 2018 midterm elections.