Be afraid, be very afraid: GOP turns to fear, racism in closing midterm message

Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo

With 22 days to go until voters head to the polls for the midterm elections, Republicans have settled on a final pitch: Be afraid, be very afraid.

In ad after ad, GOP outside groups along with the Republicans running for House, Senate and governor all across the country have included a message of fear to scare their base into voting Republican up and down the ticket, warning of the liberal “mob” that will take over the country should the GOP lose control of Congress.

The ads looks a lot like the race-baiting closing message Republicans employed in the Virginia gubernatorial election in 2017, saying a Democratic governor would allow criminals to roam free and allow MS-13 gang violence to flourish.