GOP looks for midterm enthusiasm boost from pro sports stars 

Staring down a midterm Election Day that is looking increasingly bleak for Republicans, GOP candidates and President Trump are turning to major names in sports for a jolt of energy and publicity.  

Several current and former pro athletes in recent weeks have stumped for Republicans on the campaign trail or introduced GOP hopefuls to crowds at rallies in states like Texas and New York.  

It comes as Trump has been at the center of a major blending between sports and party politics in recent months.  

The president has sought to capitalize on support from star athletes like New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and 64-year-old former major league pitcher Roger Clemens as he rallies for GOP candidates across the country.  

Several former athletes or sports figures are separately showing up on political tickets as GOP candidates, all of them backing Trump. 

Former New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is running for U.S. House in Texas’s 21st Congressional District. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely is running for U.S. House in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, and former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya is running for U.S. Senate in Minnesota.

All of them have pledged support for the president while seeking to win their races.

Trump over the past year repeatedly has tapped into American sports culture in a bid to shore up support with his base, particularly in Southern states and among younger, male voters.  

He’s attended several top-tier college football games in recent weeks, hosted the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team at this year’s State of the Union address and announced last week he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Clemens, the pitcher who had introduced him moments earlier at a rally in Texas.  

“Trump’s role in this cycle has been to be the energizer in chief. And if you’re trying to get people excited, athletes and coaches play the perfect role,” said Loretta Lepore, a Republican communications strategist who worked in the first Trump administration.

“These athletes have high name ID and are really accustomed to motivational type speeches that can create energy. And the party needs that right now. Plus, it makes sense thematically while we’re in the thrust of football season.”   

The GOP’s gravitation toward sports figures comes as polls show support for the........

© The Hill