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The real takeaway from the article is buried near the bottom and, frankly, your excerpting and calling it the "fake" Times contributed to the problem:

America First Action, a political committee aligned with Mr. Trump, conducted a series of focus groups over the summer and concluded the party had a severe voter-turnout problem, brought on in part by contentment about the economy and a refusal by Republicans to believe that Democrats could actually win the midterm elections.
Conservative-leaning voters in the study routinely dismissed the possibility of a Democratic wave election, with some describing the prospect as “fake news,” said an official familiar with the research, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data was not intended to be disclosed. Breaking that attitude of complacency is now the Republicans’ top priority, far more than wooing moderates with gentler messaging about economic growth

Ignoring a threat and calling it "fake news" is a great way to depress conservative turnout and give them the blue wave they want.

Freepers need to tune out the "remain claim, all is well" echo chamber and get out the vote.