Trump blasts Roskam, other losing House Republicans, for not embracing him

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday is scorching House Republicans who did not embrace him and lost election bids on Tuesday, including Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill.

“Peter Roskam didn’t want the embrace,” Trump said.

Democratic first-time candidate Sean Casten beat Roskam to represent the Illinois 6th congressional district. Roskam kept his distance from Trump in a district that went for Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. Casten linked Roskam to Trump throughout his campaign.

At a White House news conference, Trump noted the contenders who ran with him and won, including Illinois GOP Reps. Michael Bost and Rodney Davis.

Among those Trump took aim at was Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, who, Trump said, asked him for help with what he called a “hostage” situation in Venezuela involving a Utah resident, but when it came to the election, “Mia Love gave me no love.”

The Deseret News reported the Love race was still too close to call.

Trump did not mention Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., who was defeated by another Democratic newcomer, Lauren Underwood in the 14th congressional district race. Those Illinois victories contributed to the Democrats winning control of the House.

Hultgren appeared at a rally with Trump a little over a week before the election, and Trump sent out an endorsement tweet Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement Wednesday, Underwood said: “It is the honor of my life to be elected by my community to be their voice in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“This victory is not about me: it is about this community. Hundreds of volunteers have stood with me throughout the past 16 months to demand better representation in Washington. In the past weeks, our supporters have literally canvassed through rain and snow to get the message out about this campaign. I could not be prouder of the organization we built together.

“This experience has only deepened my love for our country, because my story is not possible everywhere. It is possible in the United States of America.

“I was 30 when I launched this campaign: a regular, middle-class woman who was working full-time. With the help of a friend, I was able to figure out how to get on the ballot, receive thousands of signatures, build a website, launch a campaign, share a message and build a movement.

“That is a hopeful story about our democracy, about the power we have when we come together to demand change.”

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