CNN’s John King: A lot of People Who Are Blue Tend to Forget ‘America Is Very Red’

‘The Republican base is upset’

CAMEROTA: “All eyes on the presidential race, but there are plenty of key congressional races to watch as well. How will Donald Trump’s rise affect the Republican reign in both houses of Congress? Here to illustrate it all with a magic wall is CNN chief national correspondent John King. Happy New Year, John.”
KING: “I’m going to take a vacation. Can I have the year off?”
CAMEROTA: “No. This is going to be a busy year for you.” 
KING: “OK.” 
CAMEROTA: “Let’s start right now. What do you predict the Trump effect will be, not obviously just on the presidential race this year but on all other congressional races?” 
KING: “It will be an easier question to answer in March or April when we know more about the outcome of the presidential primaries. But there’s no question heading into the New Year, Republicans are worried, and Democrats are happy, because you already hear Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail saying, all Republicans are anti-Muslim, all Republicans are anti- African-American, all Republicans are anti-immigrant and anti- Hispanic. So, they’re trying to paint the Republican Party with the Trump brush, if you will, and the Republican establishment is clearly worried about it. They’re worried that some races that are probably leaning Republican now, this is a Senate map, we can go through them, they’re worried some of the races leaning Republican could go Democratic if Trump stays in the headlines, if Trump is the nominee, they’re even more worried. But they do think it’s a factor. How big of a factor? You know, ask me in March, April, May.”
 CUOMO: “A little bit of what’s going on, though, is in-house disorder, right? The GOP have made big gains since Obama has been the president of the United States. And maybe there’s a feeling within the party that they didn’t get what they were bargaining for in terms of, you know, this big movement of blue to red across that map that you can show us and yet feel they don’t have anything to show for that so they’re angry at their own party. Can we see that?” 
KING: “That is exactly right, Chris, and that’s why the Republican base is so upset. This is a Senate map. We’ll back to Senate races in a minute. But let me take you to the House map. Look at all this red. This is the United States of America, 247 House districts controlled by Republicans.”
CUOMO: “A lot of red.” 
KING: “That’s a big majority. Republican, remember this, because let’s go back to right after President Obama was elected. Look at all this blue. Democrats had the majority, 257. This is after the election in 2008, right? The 2010 mid-terms, huge Republican gains, get majority. 2012, Democrats get a little back. They won eight seats in 2012. Not a big presidential sweep in the second term, only eight seats for Democrats then 2014, wow, boom. Look at this. A lot of people on the coasts, which are blue, tend to forget this, but America is very red. The Republican base is upset. They have this House majority, then they won the Senate majority in midterms elections last time, they 31 governorships and don’t think they’re getting conservative leadership. Now, part because you have a Democrat in the White House but why you have Trump and others talking to the Republican base saying why do we keep winning but not getting what we want? And that’s a big part of the dynamic.”

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