Conservative Leaders Appear To Be Losing Faith in Trump After Midterm Election Results
Prior to election night, Trump alluded to potentially announcing a 2024 presidential campaign, with rumors circulating that he’ll do so on Nov 15. According to Fox News, he is now being urged to push it back.
When the dust settled after last night’s midterm elections, we were struck to find just how many candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump lost in their respective races. And now, conservatives have put the blame for the lack of “red wave” at the feet of the former president.
A clear distinction was seen in areas where a Trump-backed candidate ran on the same ticket as a traditional Republican. In Georgia, Herschel Walker (R), who Trump stumped for, is going to a runoff against incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) in the Senate race; Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who resisted Trump’s insistence on overturning the 2020 election results, easily defeated Stacey Abrams (D).
In Ohio, the Trump-backed candidate J.D. Vance won with approx 53% in his Senate race. But when compared to incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine, a more traditional Republican candidate who won re-election by approx 63% of the vote, it’s clear Vance underperformed.
The fall of Trump-backed politicians has created a clear division within the GOP, according to Michael Brendan Dougherty, senior writer at National Review. “All the chatter on my conservative and GOP channels is rage at Trump like I've never seen,” he wrote on Twitter.
RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann said his contacts are echoing that sentiment, tweeting, “GOP source tells me after tonight, with Trump candidates underperforming and DeSantis winning by double digits, 2024 is a ‘free for all.’ ‘Everybody in the water. If you want to take on Trump, he’s never been weaker.’”
Prior to election night, Trump alluded to potentially announcing a 2024 presidential campaign, with rumors circulating that he’ll do so on Nov 15. According to Fox News, he is now being urged to push it back.