For months, candidates have been begging for his support.
As the next round is near, many Republicans are revealing that they have Donald Trump fatigue.
They are tired of looking backwards at 2020. They are tired of the fealty game. They are tired of the man taking credit for their victories.
According to over a dozen Republican party officials from battleground states, analysts, and rank-and-file GOP members they are tired of the chaos he creates in their elections.
They fear the chaos he will cause with his insistence on valuing loyalty over electionability.
“I wish Trump would just sit down and be quiet. Perry DiLoreto (a prominent Nevada businessman who has been a long-standing GOP donor and supporter of Trump in 2016 as well as 2020) said that he thinks the country is sick of him.
He supported retired Army Capt. Sam Brown in the state’s GOP primary for Senate. Sam Brown.
Donald Trump is a shining example of someone who had great ideas and good common sense. However, to bring any of these ideas forward, one must be able to engage in civil dialogue with others,” DiLoreto stated.
As they prepare for the primaries, Republicans in states such as Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nevada are venting their frustrations. These primaries could have a significant impact on the fate of Governor races and ultimately Senate control in November. These Republicans say Trump’s insistence that 2020 was stolen is making them more disillusioned, especially since many changes to voting laws have already been implemented in these states.
They grumble after a devastating loss to Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue, Georgia — he lost by fifty points – but Trump continued to push voter fraud conspiracy claims. It comes just days after the messy Pennsylvania Senate primary results, in which Mehmet Oz & David McCormick were forced to overtime amid narrow Oz leads. Trump, who had endorsed Oz, was again furious about ballot counting. (McCormick accepted on Friday. Trump also supported Doug Mastriano, a far-right state senator, in the governor’s race. He won, prompting a ruckus in the GOP state that now fears losing a once competitive governor’s seat in the fall.
As Republicans express a variety of emotions, more party rank-and-file members show that they are open to hearing from new faces to the party in order to support Trump’s candidacy for the presidency in 2024.
Nevada’s dynamics are complex. Trump supported Laxalt last August, his 2020 presidential campaign chair in Nevada. It was an easy decision. The former statewide office holder was well-known and was a frequent choice for Trump to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. Laxalt’s Senate campaign has heavily relied on Trump’s endorsement since then, with public appearances and ads promoting it.
Brown, DiLoreto’s underdog candidate in the contest of June 14, saw a rise in the primary. This is a sign of the GOP fracturing that is taking place across the country. Brown won the straw polls for the state’s Republican Party of Clark County, which is the most populous county in Nevada. He also won the Carson City Republicans vote. Joey Gilbert, the Gubernatorial Candidate, won the straw poll for Nevada GOP state party, beating Trump’s choice Joe Lombardo. Informal party voting is often seen as a sign that grassroots support has been shown.
“Trump fatigue is everywhere.” “It’s among committee members and especially elected officials,” stated a GOP official who was involved in multiple campaigns but asked to remain anonymous out of fear of Trump’s reprisal.
There is no one way to get Trump’s blessing. This frustrates some. Candidates try to obtain the coveted endorsement but risk being outflanked. “Corey Lewandowski parachutes into with someone and Trump endorses at a whim,” the official said. This refers to Trump’s former campaign manager, who is still an informal advisor to the former president.
According to the person, there were some potential candidates who didn’t want to run. He said, “I’m not going spend a whole year campaigning, raising funds only for the last week of campaign him to decide that he doesn’t like my swing and endorses me.”
Similar splits are being witnessed by Wisconsin Republicans. According to Andrew Hitt (ex-chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party), GOP members aren’t as united in their support for Trump than they were in 2020.
Recent straw polls in Wisconsin showed that Trump was outvoted by Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis was the Republican’s preferred presidential candidate in 2024. The same straw poll showed that Trump couldn’t win the support of all Wisconsin Republicans who wanted him to run again for president.
Hitt stated that he saw unity across the party in 2020. He’s now seeing more fracture in the key presidential battleground, which could threaten the party’s ability this fall to flip the governor’s office and make Wisconsin red in 2024.
It’s more than one thing. Some people want to find a new candidate [in 2020]. Some people think he won’t win. Hitt stated that some people are unhappy about January 6 and others are disappointed that 2020 is still being discussed.” All of these things are leading to more people wanting to move forward.
Three of the four GOP candidates for the Democratic Governor’s race didn’t stop them. Tony Evers traveled to Mar-a-Lago in order to get Trump’s endorsement.
Scott Walker, a former Trump ally, said in a recent interview to NBC News that he would prefer Trump not being there. He claimed that Trump was the only candidate who had polled the strongest and that all three candidates had expressed loyalty to Trump. Walker supports the former Lieutenant Governor. Rebecca Kleefisch said that he sent Trump an email praising Kleefisch who he considered the most qualified. But he also suggested that he not endorse him at all.
“My main request was not about endorsement. Walker stated that she was simply saying she is 100 percent behind her. However, it makes sense to not get engaged.
Trump supported Tim Michels, a millionaire businessman who had supported Trump’s administration and poured money into this race anyway.
Chris Walker, a Michels adviser, stated that President Trump was the single most important factor in any Republican primary. “This endorsement was something every Republican campaign wanted to get.”
Trump may threaten to unnecessarily bring into play what could be an extremely red contest in some cases, such as Missouri’s GOP Senate Primary. This was said by Elijah Haahr (a Republican ex-speaker of Missouri’s state House).
Haahr stated that Republicans on the ground are afraid of Trump backing Eric Greitens. Eric Greitens has attracted the endorsement such Trump allies like Kimberly Guilfoyle who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr. and was a top fundraiser for Trump’s election bid.
Haahr stated that Greitens, Missouri’s former governor, has the baggage that could damage Republicans’ chances of winning the general election. Greitens’ ex wife, Greitens, alleged in court documents last March that he had abused her and their son. Greitens claimed these accusations were “fabricated.”
“Most people believe that Trump would endorse Eric if he decided to do so, which will likely mean he will be the nomination. Haahr stated that this creates a problem for the Republican Party, which must focus on legislative and statewide races. Eric Greitens will be the only exception. “Every other candidate in this race will win the general.”
Greitens described Trump’s endorsement as “the single most powerful asset in the history and politics” in a statement.
He said, “These establishment Republicans in Name Only [Republicans in Number Only] should stop trying downplay President Trump’s immense influence and instead work with him for the America First agenda.”
Chair of the Greene County Republican Central Committee, Danette Proctor said that Trump’s endorsement will make a significant difference in primary races.
She also said that Trump does not have the universal strength he had in 2020.
