If anything, criminals like Texas AG Ken Paxton should show that indictments will not and should not deter campaigning (and vice-versa).
Former officials who served under the twice-impeached ex-president who lost the popular vote twice and tried to stage a coup weren’t shy about saying so, either. Trump-backed candidates across the country, with the sole exception of Ohio’s J.D. Vance who pulled out a squeaker in his race, lost over and over again.
On the other hand, incumbents who whole-heartedly backed Trump, candidates like Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, have lost or are losing their races. New candidates like Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Dan Bolduc in New Hampshire, Lee Zeldin in New York, and Michigan’s Tudor Dixon all had Trump’s strongest endorsements and lost their races. Boebert, along with Arizona’s Kari Lake, appear poised to lose theirs.
[...]
Former deputy White House press secretary under Trump, Sarah Matthews, who testified against Trump before the House Select January 6 Committee, said that the results should be considered a warning against another Trump presidential run.
‘I THINK LAST NIGHT WAS THE BIGGEST INDICATOR THAT DONALD TRUMP SHOULD NOT BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE IN 2024. HE COST REPUBLICANS WINNABLE SEATS BY BOOSTING POOR QUALITY CANDIDATES.’
bipartisanreport.com/…
Former President Trump is facing waves of blame after key Republican candidates lost in midterms.
The big picture: There was no red wave. As of this morning, control of the Senate is undetermined, but appears to be leaning toward Democrats. The House is headed for a very narrow GOP majority, but is also uncalled.
Why it matters: Regardless of the reality with GOP primary voters, Republican elites — and other anti-Trump Republicans — sense blood in the water. There's an increased likelihood of a larger, more boisterous primary field competing against Trump in 2024.
- The chances Trump can clear the field are vastly diminished.
What happened: Many of former President Trump's handpicked candidates were defeated or struggled in otherwise winnable races — a lineup of underachievers.
- In Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz lost his Senate race to Democrat John Fetterman by 2+ points. In Michigan, Tudor Dixon lost her challenge to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) by 8 points.
- Trump-backed candidates who are trailing: Herschel Walker for the Senate, in Georgia ... and Blake Masters for the Senate, in Arizona.
- On top of all that, Trump stoked a massive distraction by promoting speculation about his own 2024 campaign in the midterms' final hours.
The intrigue: Trump's planned rally at Mar-a-Lago next Tuesday, where he's expected to announce a 2024 presidential campaign, now won't come after a GOP landslide.
- Instead, it will follow an election where Democrats have a solid chance to hold or even expand their hold on the Senate — and where Republicans fell way short of their expectations for a sizable red wave.
Between the lines: Trump constrained his party's coalition in states where he showed up. In Pennsylvania, Senate victor John Fetterman won independents with 57% of the vote, Hispanics with 67% of the vote and women with 57% of the vote, according to exit polling.
- In Georgia, where the Senate race is too close to call, Trump-championed Herschel Walker won only 8% of the Black vote, 42% of independents and 39% of Hispanics, exit polls show. His numbers in all three categories lagged Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who won re-election.
By contrast, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' resounding re-election was one of the few bright spots for Republicans.
www.axios.com/...
