A Republican civil war is erupting at virtually every level of the party, triggered by an underwhelming midterm performance that threatens to destabilize the ranks of Senate, House and national GOP leadership.
The feuds now roiling the GOP run far deeper than conventional policy disagreements. And with an entrenched leader like former President Trump planning his comeback announcement Tuesday, there’s little chance for peace talks.
- The conservative Club for Growth, once a staunch Trump ally, sent a warning shot on the eve of Trump’s likely 2024 announcement by commissioning a new poll showing he trails DeSantis by double-digits in Iowa and New Hampshire, Politico scooped.
- That follows a national YouGov poll released Friday that found 42% of Republicans and Republican-leaners prefer DeSantis to be the nominee, compared to 35% for Trump, with similar figures in Texas reported Monday in a poll commissioned by the Texas GOP.
- Longtime allies and advisers to Trump have urged him to postponehis 2024 announcement, largely to avoid sabotaging Republican Herschel Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff — but there are no indications he’s been deterred.
In the Senate, a Wall Street Journal story detailing the poisonous relationship between Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and campaign chief Rick Scott (R-Fla.) featured stunning on-the-record quotes from both offices blaming each other for the midterm debacle.
In the House, right-wing Freedom Caucus members are plotting a challenge to GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in his bid to be nominated for House speaker on Tuesday.
At the RNC, chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is seeking re-election but facing a new potential challenge from Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), whose stronger-than-expected performance in the New York governor’s race has paved the way for a more national profile.
Brendan Buck, a former aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan and John Boehner, floated a hypothetical scenario in which a challenger defeats Trump in the 2024 GOP primary. “What then are the chances Trump wouldn’t entirely sabotage that person in the general election?” Buck tweeted.