Hume on Trump’s midterm campaigning: ‘I’m not sure it’s making any difference’

Brit Hume, chief political analyst at Fox News, had harsh words for President Trump’s tour across the country to boost Republican candidates, saying he did not think the president’s midterm campaigning was effective.

“Sometimes in the course of a campaign, you’ll see a candidate or a party that is trailing in the polls begin to catch some momentum,” Hume said. “I haven’t seen that yet. The president has been out campaigning vigorously, but I’m not sure it’s making any difference.”

The former ABC News correspondent-turned Fox analyst specifically singled out the Texas Senate race, where Trump’s preferred candidate Attorney General Ken Paxton is in a tight race with James Talarico, a young Democratic state lawmaker.

Despite Texas’s traditionally Republican status, many preelection polls show Talarico narrowly leads Paxton.

“He’s calling James Talarico ‘Tala-freako.’ Now look, it’s true that James Talarico has endorsed some pretty exotic positions in his years in public life,” Hume said. “However, what he does not seem to be is a freak. You see him, he seems mild-mannered, he seems pleasant, he’s not an unattractive candidate, whether you agree with him or not.”

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), a partner of The Hill, gives Talarico a 55 percent chance to win the Texas Senate race. Winning in Texas is key to national Democrats’ chances of a Senate majority. DDHQ gives the party 56 percent odds of flipping the upper chamber.

Hume said while the Republicans certainly could turn their fate around, he does not see the president’s recent actions or messaging as effective.

The analyst specifically cited Trump’s recent move to waive sanctions on Russian energy and criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the short tenure of former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, as developments which stand to hurt the GOP’s position.

“I don’t see this White House and this campaigning by the president as having made much headway so far,” Hume said.

Throughout the midterm campaign, Trump has reminded voters to “pretend” he is on the ballot. Many Democrats have emphasized the same message , pointing to the president’s historically low approval rating.