Inside the GOP's fight to avoid a House wipeout

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise won't talk about defeat, even as his outside GOP allies are pulling money anyway.Why it matters: Republicans face brutal political headwinds, but Scalise (R-La.) stands out from his fellow leaders for refusing to even contemplate losing the House.Zoom in: At an event for Republican Marty O'Donnell, who's challenging Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Scalise argued that his presence in the district was evidence Republicans are still on offense."If it's some horrible cycle for Republicans, then why am I here?" Scalise told supporters at a Las Vegas country club Thursday."This is a winnable race," he said. But MAGA Inc., a super PAC allied with President Trump, pulled nearly $1 million in advertising from the race last week.The big picture: House Democrats lead the generic ballot by eight points in new Washington Post-ABC polling. Trump's approval is at a record low of 31% (Reuters/Ipsos) and 72% say the country is on the wrong track (Post/ABC).He's making 56 campaign stops between August and Election Day as part of what he's dubbed the "Save America Tour," complete with T-shirts featuring a map of his travels."This is like better than a rock band," Scalise…

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