The chaos inside Quicken Loans Arena - from a quashed delegate rebellion to Melania Trump's recycled words and Ted Cruz's saboteur turn - have dominated coverage of Cleveland this week. But outside the arena, the RNC's vibe felt eerie for what the city seemed to be missing: large, boisterous protests, crowded bars and restaurants, and GOP candidates in competitive House races - most of whom stayed home. It's been true for a while that vulnerable incumbents find convenient reasons to skip conventions, but this year is still pretty unusual. We recently found that only 58 percent of GOP incumbents in swing districts have endorsed Donald Trump by name, compared to 80 percent of those in safe districts. That stiff-arm tactic, combined with Trump's lack of a clear ideology and political record, could limit Democrats' ability to tie GOP candidates to their nominee and ride an anti-Trump wave. For now, there's scant evidence Trump's nomination has lowered the standing of down-ballot Republicans. However, it's also true Democrats haven't started spending the bulk of the money they've raised to establish that link.
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