As others in this series and others have noted, former President Donald Trump is in trouble. He’s perhaps more politically weakened than ever since winning the 2016 Republican nomination. This may be good news for the country, but is it good news for the Democrats? I don’t think so.
Donald Trump is like ten cars piled up on the side of the highway. we can’t stop looking at him. Ever since he stepped down the golden escalator in Trump Tower, he’s dominated news coverage. Veteran journalist Marvin Kalb wrote of his coverage: such an editor. Climate change articles tend to lower ratings and subscriptions. Editors don’t like it. “
For over seven years Trump has sucked all the air out of the media space. Climate change isn’t the only thing lost in the shuffle. is what awaits, and the Democratic Party, which has won three substantial victories in recent years (the 2018 midterms, the 2020 presidential election, and the 2022 Senate), may not. I am against the “Trumpless” party.
During the primaries, my team at Brookings reviewed all Republican and Democratic congressional candidates.[1] During the primaries, much attention was paid to candidates at all levels who were starving for Trump’s support. imitated his position and did his best to morph into a “mini-Trump” declaring MAGA and America First. has now further strengthened its mantra of being “Trump’s party”. Of his 1,397 Republican candidates in the 2022 congressional primary, 59% were not endorsed by Trump, did not mention Trump on their websites or social his media, and did not appear on MAGA or You didn’t even mention America First.
Republicans other than Trump did very well in the general election. In fact, some Republican operatives refer to them as “ordinary” Republicans. For the first time in my years of studying politics, I’ve heard people refer to some of the candidates as “normal.” In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who rejected Trump’s request to get his 11,780 votes that would enable him to win in Georgia, survived Trump’s wrath and the Democratic opposition. He won by 10 points over him. Raffensperger was endorsed by Gov. Brian Kemp, who proved Biden’s victory in the state. As a result, Kemp became the number one enemy in Trump’s post-election revenge. Kemp defeated the pro-Trump candidate in the Republican primary, and in the general election, he won his 7.5% victory over the powerful Stacy Abrams, who campaigned to end voter suppression. became a national celebrity.
In Nevada, Republican candidate Joe Lombardo outpaced the incumbent Democratic governor by 1.4%. Lombardo, who had Trump’s support, held him off at one governor’s debate, stating: [and] He “didn’t hesitate to do it” and agreed that Trump’s lying about election fraud had eroded voter confidence.
Naturally, Trump threatened to withdraw his endorsement, but Lombardo won anyway. In contrast, Nevada senatorial candidate Adam Laxalt lost to incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto by 1.9%.
One of the most “ordinary” Republicans is New Hampshire’s very popular Governor Chris Sununu. Gov. Sununu called Trump’s allegations that the election was rigged “misinformation” and said some people convicted of participating in the Jan. 6 riots should not be forgiven said. Cory Lewandowski, a Trump operative from New Hampshire, boasted about trying to make him a primary, but he didn’t get it. In the end, despite calling Trump “crazy” (or perhaps because of it), Sununu won reelection with 57% of the vote, while Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan won reelection. He won 53% of the vote against the pro-Trump candidate.
In the increasingly Republican state of Ohio, Republican Governor Mike DeWine stepped away from Trump during the pandemic, setting his own path for the state regarding shutdowns and other pandemic-related issues. In November, he dismissed Trump’s stolen election lies, despite the fact that he criticized him for “gassing the fire” before the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. He sailed for re-election with 63% of the vote. The Trump-backed Ohio senator candidate also won, but got 10% fewer votes than DeWine.
Had Trump not intervened in the Republican primary, there might have been more “ordinary” Republicans on the ballot, and the red wave predictions might have been more accurate. But the fascination (or obsession) with Trump has led many to overlook the fact that there is a Republican Party other than Trump, and that it is doing quite well. It might be a good thing, but it could be a problem for some Democrats who need to build a stronger case than “we’re not Trump.”
[1] See Brookings, The Primarys Project 2022 at https://www.brookings.edu/series/the-primaries-project-2022/
