The suburbs are turning against the GOP, and President Donald Trump is only heightening the situation, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday.
Santorum, commenting on Democratic gains made in the 2019 elections, noted how the suburbs in Pennsylvania “are turning and they’re not turning in our direction, and Donald Trump is not a help in that regard particularly amongst suburban women.”
“That is apparent,” he continued. “The numbers from Virginia don’t lie. You know, Matt Bevin getting crushed in Louisville, in the suburban areas, in Lexington. Those don’t lie either. That’s a problem and it’s a broader problem that is exacerbated by Donald Trump.”
Santorum said Republicans had “to do a better job, and frankly Trump is not the best messenger for that based on his, frankly, his personality and his demeanor.”
“It just turns a lot of suburbanites off,” Santorum noted. “He appeals to blue-collar working folks and that’s overwhelmingly not suburban voters, and that’s a problem.”
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) agreed.
“I think there is a big revolt going on in suburban communities across the country,” McAuliffe said, adding it’s “a huge problem for the Republicans.”
Check out the interview here: