'The President Is Not Popular,' Note on GOP Site Began

With President Trump's approval ratings sinking fast before the midterms, a note to self on a Republican candidate's website was brutally frank: "The President is not popular, so all messaging should be focused on local politics and needs." The admonition appeared on a page laying out the platform of Minnesota state Sen. Eric Pratt, who's running for Congress. After screenshots of the page became a social media hit, Pratt's campaign took the line down, the Washington Post reports. His staff said Wednesday that the line was included in an internal staff note and, of course, not meant for all to see.

The Hill reported the line seemed to be part of an AI prompt intended to produce wording for Pratt to use in his run for the 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat. A spokesperson for Pratt said Democrats were using the mistake to distract from real issues. At the moment, the nonpartisan Decision Desk HQ gives Pratt a 3% chance of defeating Democrat Matt Little on Nov. 3.