Republican voters who “gave up” on the party in the 2018 elections are returning to the polls to help President Trump’s reelection, according to a top House leader.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said what’s driving them to return is their fondness for Trump, who has also at times fought with the GOP.

“Trump’s voters love this president. They are the forgotten men and women who didn't show up two years ago but who voted for Trump in 2016,” he told a private Zoom meeting with members of the centrist Republican Ripon Society.

In comments shared with Secrets, Scalise said that he has traveled to several states and witnessed the return of the president’s supporters who had bailed on the GOP in 2018, giving control of the House to the Democrats.

“Trump wins or loses based on whether or not those folks show up. And I will tell you that I'm in a lot of those states, and they are showing up. They didn't show up for us in 2018, frankly, because they gave up on both parties. But they love this president and what he's doing. That's positive energy, and positive energy is what's going to win this election, not negative energy,” said the Louisiana lawmaker.

Part of the energy driving GOP voters, he added, was the White House nomination of federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

He predicted that a pre-election confirmation of Barrett would also depress the Democratic vote.

“Our base is fired up about it,” he told Ripon. “But once that seat is filled — and it's going to be filled before the election — I have no doubt that it will serve to demoralize some of their base. They are not excited about Joe Biden. They might dislike the president, but negative energy is not what elects a president,” he added.

SOURCE: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/steve-scalise-gop-voters-return-to-help-trump-after-2018-boycott