Democratic operative James Carville said Saturday that Democrats face an uphill battle if they want to win back the Senate in 2018.
“I think right now most Democrats are trying to focus on the 2018 elections and trying to recruit people and keep incumbents, and you know I would say we have a pretty good chance of taking the House back. The Senate is very, very difficult,” Carville told John Catsimatidis on AM 970 in New York.
“The problem in the Senate is we have a large number of seats we have to hold in states that Donald Trump carried. Indiana, Missouri, you know, places like that we have to hold seats,” Carville added.
Carville remained doubtful that Democrats would be able to pick up new seats typically in Republican strongholds.
“The only places where we have an opportunity for pick up are, you know, Nevada is pretty good. After that Arizona is less good, then you’re down to Texas and Alabama, and for Democrats to win the Senate back, they have to pick up three seats,” Carville said.
Carville’s comments come as Senate Republicans prepare to deliver a health care bill that they say will replace Obamacare, in keeping with what they promised their constituents.
President Trump said that “we are very, very close” to dismantling Obamacare in his weekly address Friday, but the Senate will not vote on the bill until next week after Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) recovers from surgery.
The former Clinton operative, however, thinks that the Senate Republican plan to replace Obamacare will only backfire on them.
“Anybody that moves to change healthcare loses,” he said.
The veteran political campaign strategist, when asked about whether there was a standout leader in the Democratic Party, responded that there is “no one” who is leading the party.
“If a party is out of power and we don’t have a presidential candidate, there is no one going to be in charge until sometime in 2020 when we choose a presidential candidate,” he said.