President Donald Trump has intensified his warnings about a communist takeover of the Democratic Party as the midterm elections approach. Trump’s team is testing the message with focus groups to see if it resonates with voters.

Trump’s Strategy

Trump has invoked communism 81 times in his public comments, calling some Democratic candidates ‘hardcore, godless communists.’ His team believes the message energizes his base and could boost turnout among infrequent Republican voters.

However, the message appears less effective with independents and younger voters who did not live through the Cold War. Republicans see the message resonating in particular with Hispanic voters in Florida and Texas.

Response from Democrats

U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, who chairs the House Democratic campaign committee, said Republicans are ‘resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues.’ Democrats argue that tackling affordability means taxing the rich, cutting military spending, and expanding government-funded programs.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.