Head of House GOP's campaign strategy tells midterm candidates to stop talking about Trump and focus on policy issues, report says 

• The head of the House GOP's campaign strategy is reportedly urging candidates to avoid discussing Trump.
• Tom Emmer has told candidates in key battlegrounds to focus on issues that matter to Republican voters, per CNN. 
• One GOP candidate told CNN that he now avoids all mention of Trump's name on the campaign trail.
• The head of the House GOP's campaign strategy for the 2022 midterms has been advising Republican candidates in key races to focus on policy issues, not former President Donald Trump, according to CNN.

  Citing three Republican sources familiar with internal conversations, CNN said that Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota is encouraging vulnerable candidates to prioritize issues important to GOP voters.

  A spokesperson for Emmer, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told CNN that candidates are advised to talk about inflation, crime, and the Mexico border. According to the guidance, Trump's name should be avoided because he's not on the ballot for 2022, CNN reported.

  Insider contacted Emmer for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

  Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska agreed with the guidance. "Tom Emmer and I think Kevin (McCarthy) and Steve (Scalise) are all saying we should be focusing on the issues -- and they're right," he said, according to CNN.