In the 2018 congressional elections, Republicans were facing significant challenges, as reported by Steve Bannon, who noted a 15-point deficit in their prospects. Despite this difficult landscape, Bannon was optimistic that an extreme right-wing campaign could provoke the Democratic Party to respond by nominating candidates who might be even less appealing to voters, potentially termed as "left-wing nutters."

Bannon believed that the more radical the right's candidates appeared, the more likely it was for Democrats to counter with their own polarizing figures. This strategy, in his view, could create an electoral landscape where the extreme positions of both parties might cancel each other out, ultimately giving Republicans a better chance in the elections.