Republican Sen. Pat Toomey has said former President Donald Trump bears grave responsibility for Tuesday’s “debacle” in which Republicans struggled to capitalize on Democrat weaknesses in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, blaming his party. to move away from Trump’s influence.
Pennsylvania’s Toomey predicts Republicans will demote Trump while elevating Florida governor Ron DeSantis due to massive failures in his home state and shortcomings elsewhere did.
“Last night the nation was a terrible night for Donald Trump and a great night for Governor DeSantis,” Toomey said. “The more MAGA a candidate had, the less likely they were to perform, even in their own state.”
In an interview with The Inquirer, Toomey accused Trump of elevating a Republican candidate who imitated the former president, followed by record-high inflation, low approval ratings for President Joe Biden, and a surge in crime. Despite our concerns, we struggled to win.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a discrete moment when the party breaks with Trump all at once,” Toomey said. “I think Donald Trump’s influence is slowly but steadily declining, and I think it will accelerate after the debacle for which he is somewhat to blame.”
» Read more: Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman Helped Democrats Defy Republican Red Wave Hopes
Toomey praised one of Trump’s endorsed candidates, Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
But he pointed to several other Trump picks that have struggled. he pointed out. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine won by more than 25 percent of him, Trump-picked Ohio senatorial candidate JD Vance won by just over 6 points, and the Republican Party is on a relative deficit. have to consume resources in
“The party needs to recognize the facts on the ground. As I said, when the main criterion is loyalty to Donald Trump, the results have not been very good.
» Read more: How Doug Mastriano’s run for Pennsylvania gubernator went way off course
In Pennsylvania, Toomey, a staunch fiscal conservative, said the entire Republican nominee was squeezed by Doug Mastriano. Mastriano rose to prominence as a Trump supporter, losing by double digits to Democrat Josh Shapiro on Tuesday.
“Mastriano’s loss is epic in scale, and it’s very difficult for a downvoted candidate to overcome it,” Toomey said.
With Mastriano struggling, Republicans may have lost control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in more than a decade, losing all major elections in Pennsylvania, including the crucial Senate and three House elections.
In comments to Mastriano, Toomey said the same could apply to Trump. It was not a good strategy politically. Politically it’s still not a good strategy. ”
Toomey, who refused to seek re-election this year, endorsed Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, voting on most of the former president’s policies. But when the former president tried to overturn his 2020 election results, he broke with Trump bitterly, and senators convicted Trump in his second impeachment trial.
Toomey endorsed Oz, who lost to Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. But he heightened Trump’s election lies and kept his distance from Mastriano, who was outside the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots.
As for who will emerge as the new center of gravity for the Republican Party, Toomey said DeSantis looks like one of the early options.
» Read more: How John Fetterman won the Pennsylvania Senate race
“Right now, Governor DeSantis looks like a Republican dream. We won by a margin,” Toomey said. “He has all the strengths without the baggage.”
But Trump shows no signs of leaving. He hinted that he may announce another presidential run in the coming days.
“If he does run, I think it’s very likely that he won’t end up as a candidate, but he will certainly start as a front-runner,” Toomey said. However, he argued that Trump’s actions after the 2020 election “disqualify him for public office.”
