A prominent Republican strategist has publicly questioned former President Donald Trump's decision not to campaign in person for the party's nominee in a crucial Tennessee special election, suggesting a missed opportunity to secure a vital U.S. House seat.
Trump Phones It In While GOP Leaders Rally On Ground
On Tuesday, veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye expressed surprise that Donald Trump did not travel to Tennessee to hold one of his signature political rallies for Republican candidate Matt Van Epps. The race is to fill a vacant U.S. House seat in a district that voted for Trump in the last presidential election.
"Donald Trump used to love doing political rallies. I'm surprised he didn't do it here. We saw him phone it in, but that's exactly what he did. He phoned it in," Heye stated during an appearance on CNN.
This criticism comes roughly a month after Republican losses in several key races. The comments followed a Monday rally for Van Epps that featured in-person appearances by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters. Trump, whose schedule had shown little to no public events for several days prior, addressed the crowd via telephone. He later participated in a separate tele-rally for the Republican candidate.
A Tight Race with High Stakes for Republicans
The electoral contest is proving to be highly competitive. Van Epps, who has received over $1 million from the Trump-backing super PAC MAGA Inc., held a narrow lead in a late-October Emerson College poll. The survey showed him ahead of Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn by just two percentage points, 48% to 46%.
Heye, a former communications director for the RNC, argued that Trump's physical presence could have been decisive. He fears that Republicans, aside from Speaker Johnson and the party's congressional campaign arm, did not expend maximum effort in the race.
"If Donald Trump had gone on the ground in Tennessee and done a big rally for this, he would have been been able to claim credit, if Republicans win tonight, about how he brought this race home," Heye explained.
A Warning Sign for Upcoming Midterm Elections
The strategist framed the special election's outcome as a potential indicator for the 2024 political landscape. Heye cautioned that a result within "single digits" should serve as a significant warning signal for the Republican Party as it looks toward next year's midterm elections.
"Special elections do not determine what happens a year later. We do overrate this. But if it is that close, it's going to be a big deal," Heye concluded, emphasizing that a narrow margin of victory would highlight underlying vulnerabilities for the GOP.
The situation underscores ongoing debates within the Republican Party about campaign strategy and the effective use of its most influential figures in tight races that could determine control of Congress.