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All Democrats are now Chicago Cubs fans

Donald Trump (left) and Hillary Clinton.AFP/Getty Images

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Growing up, Donald Trump loved baseball. He was a catcher with the dirtiest uniform. He was a right-handed hitter with apparently enough power in his swing that the outfield would shift to the left. He even claimed he was good enough to play professional ball.

Now it’s possible that the national pastime and the sport of his youth could derail his shot at the presidency.

The playoff season for Major League Baseball begins next week. Excitement about baseball playoffs isn’t what it used to be, but this year – as the Chicago Cubs are having their best season since 1935 and could win their first World Series in well over 100 years – they could become the hottest story in the country.

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That’s bad news for Trump.

It is something of an unwritten political rule in New England. If the Red Sox go deep into the playoffs – and they clinched their division last night – then it is hard for political candidates who are behind in polls to get the attention they need to make up the ground. This theory is about to be tested nationwide.

Both Hillary Clinton and Trump have their teams to root for and against.

Clinton, who is currently behind in Ohio, might be rooting against the AL Central division-leading Cleveland Indians, especially if they face the Red Sox. (In the swing state of New Hampshire, she is leading Trump.)

Clinton, who grew up a Chicago fan, has the political incentive to root for the Cubs to go all the way. She has a national lead and good reviews following the first debate. Should the Cubs simply make it to the World Series, it could be the dominant news story for well over a week. Not even Trump could break through. And the dominant, quiet Clinton ground game could have even more impact as the campaign gets temporarily put on the back burner, especially in early voting states.

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Trump, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind it if some non-swing state teams like the division-leading Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers faced off in the World Series.

This isn’t the first time that the World Series captured the national attention in the middle of a presidential campaign. In 2004, John Kerry thought the Red Sox ending their decades-long championship drought was a good omen for his chances weeks later in the presidential election.

He was wrong.


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