Calling his home state "very much in play" in November, New York Republican Rep. Pete King tells
Newsmax TV he expects to lose some Republicans in this election, but to gain moderate and conservative Democrats.
Current polling shows Trump winning by 5 or 6 points in his Long Island district, King told "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth. And though both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have high unfavorables, "hers are much more intense," going "right to the core" of whether people can trust her.
"We're gonna lose a few Republicans, to be honest. There's been a division in the party," King admitted, but added, "We're gonna pick up a lot of moderate and conservative Democrats. We're gonna pick up independents. We're gonna pick up a lot of what we used to call Reagan Democrats."
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Voters upstate are "very disenchanted with Democrats," he said, and the same is true even in New York City after voting in leftist Bill de Blasio as mayor.
"People have seen what happens with that kind of leadership," King said. "And there is a real, growing movement against liberalism, progressivism."
King had a prediction for November: "If Donald Trump carries New York, he's going to carry the country."
Trump stridently opposes the North American Free Trade agreement as a job killer for American workers. King said that while he voted for NAFTA he still feels much more can be done to help workers who have lost their jobs.
"These are blue collar people who are not among the privileged few," and feel overlooked, he said.
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