GOP Strategist Scott Jennings Implores House Republicans: ‘Try Not to Die’

Scott Jennings offered some advice to House Republicans looking to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Jennings was part of CNN’s election coverage on Tuesday night as returns rolled in from two special elections for vacant congressional seats in Florida. Republicans won both but ran well behind last year’s Republican showings. In Florida’s 1st, former Chief Financial Officer of Florida, Jimmy Patronis won by about 14 percentage points and will replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned to focus on his ill-fated nomination as U.S. attorney general. Gaetz won reelection last year by 32 percentage points. In Florida’s 6th, former state Sen. Randy Fine won by about 14 percentage points in a district former Rep. Mike Waltz (R) won by 33 points in November. Waltz resigned the seat to serve as National Security Advisor.

When Patronis and Fine take their seats, the GOP will have a 220-213 majority in the House, pending two upcoming special elections in solidly Democratic districts in Arizona and Texas.

Jennings downplayed the apparent underperformances and noted Republicans’ slim majority in the House.

“It’s a turnout game,” he said. “And this is a condition of the Republican Party. That is true. We now have a party that’s made up of lower-propensity voters. They tend not to vote when Donald Trump’s not on the ballot. They turn out at lower rates, especially when elections are happening at odd times. And this is an issue the party’s gonna have to grapple with.”

He went on to say that a result like Tuesday’s “creates a mirage” and followed it by offering health advice to Republican lawmakers.

“That having been said, my advice to House Republicans right now is eat healthy, get on your treadmill, try not to die if you live in a district that’s any worse than either of these between now and next November,” he said. “Or at least now and this summer when we gotta pass a reconciliation bill because it’s thin margins. But the Republicans, I think, are gonna hold this thin margin and hopefully hold it long enough to get Donald Trump’s legislative agenda across the line.”

Republicans are taking few chances in the House. Last week, Trump pulled the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik was reportedly “crushed” by the development.

Watch above via CNN.