Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, First Bancorp P R
Search every verified Christian Wilson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2018 appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast,” pollster Chris Wilson discussed the political landscape ahead of the midterm elections. Wilson said that Republicans’ improving poll numbers were being driven by the economy and tax cuts, and that the party was spending heavily to make the legislation more popular by pointing to instances where people had seen an increase in their paychecks. He argued that the Republican Party would approach the midterms in an unorthodox fashion, similar to 2016, and that every Republican candidate needed to identify their turnout targets and motivate their base. Wilson stated that he did not believe Republicans would lose control of the House, though he acknowledged they might lose some seats. He noted that the House map presented liabilities for Republicans because they were competing in districts Hillary Clinton won, while the Senate map was more favorable due to Democrats up for reelection in states Donald Trump won overwhelmingly. Wilson described the Republican message as “Pro America, Pro American, Pro hard-working American” and said it was working with independents, who represented a 12% swing in popularity. He also observed that the president came to power not because of his popularity but because of the unpopularity of the establishment, and that this was a non-traditional time where past patterns might not repeat.
“What's driving the rebounding of Republican numbers that was just mentioned is the economy, it's the tax cuts and that's become even more clear as those tax cuts become more into place and after April 15th.”
“Democrats don't like Donald Trump; it's very rare for a president with this kind of economy to be this unpopular outside of wartime, and so that being the case it really is some humble upon Republicans to make sure that they are motivating their base.”
“Every Republican candidate needs to know exactly who his turnout targets are, who is it that voted in 2016, maybe voted in 2014, but right now doesn't plan to vote in 2018. They need to get to know those people on a personal basis to get them out to vote or it's gonna be a bad election for Republicans.”
“I think right now the Republicans have a very solid Pro America, Pro American, Pro hard-working American message and that's one that's working. It's working with independents and if you can keep those independents, that's a 12% swing that we've been seeing in popularity.”
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