Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Rep. Greg Walden (at left) chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee says GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump isnt weighing down Republicans in contested House of Representative races as much as Democrats are being hurt by Hillary Clinton. Yes at his point 
in time in the most competitive 2016 House races Hillary Clinton hurts Democratic Congressional Candidates more than Donald Trump hurts Republicans.
Thats what Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) told a Friday morning breakfast for reporters sponsored by the Monitor Science Monitor.
Everything we are seeing today in the data in all these districts" indicates that voters there are planning to keep splitting their ballots says NRCC Executive Director Rob Simms.Given the Republicans strong showing in the 2014 election winning 247 seats out of a total of 435 the NRCC is fighting to hold 26
seats in districts that were won by President Obama in 2012.
But Walden has not always had such a benign view of Mr. Trumps impact on the effort to keep the largest Republican House majority since 1928.
In December after Trumps call for a ban on Muslims entering the country Walden was quoted by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as saying it puts certainly competitive seats in jeopardy. Well have a much more difficult time" holding the House majority.
When asked about those comments at last Fridays breakfast Walden said:
Things evolve and what we now know looking at the data is that Hillary Clinton is a bigger drag in our competitive seats than Donald Trump."
He added that while there may be an isolated district where that is not the case as we look overall this is what we are seeing. They are either equal or she is less popular."
When leaders of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) made a June breakfast appearance they argued that Trumps presence at the top of the Republican ticket would help Democratic House candidates. Kelly Ward executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) noted Trumps rocky poll ratings among young and minority voters and said that voters in competitive districts like Donald Trump the least." Still Walden concedes that keeping a Republican majority of historic proportions is challenging. The reality is that we know we have got some seats that are going to be in play including some where we have retirements and open seats but Democrats have got some
problems too."
Like the DCCC officials the NRCCs Walden was hesitant about predicting the outcome of the battle for House control this early in the election season.
If we had the election today we would be in very good shape of maintaining pretty much around where we are at. I hope that continues as we go into the general election" he said.
