Albert R. Hunt, Columnist

Republican Candidates Face a Dilemma on Trump

Most GOP incumbents are putting their bets on the president and his base.

February 18, 2018 at 3:00 PM UTC

Albert R. Hunt is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.

See any middle ground?
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images

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Unlike this year's U.S. Senate races, which are mainly being fought in Trump-friendly states, many of the most contested House electoral battles are for Republican-held seats in more Democratic-leaning places.

That enhances the odds of Democrats winning control of the House and presents a dilemma for Republican incumbents: Do they strike some distance from President Donald Trump, or continue to march in lockstep with him in Congress? But don't look for any mass Republican defections, even if the probe of any Trump ties to Russia escalates.