(Presidentialwire.com)- The week before the midterm elections, where Republicans did not fare as well as they had planned, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was questioned about whether he would support Donald Trump if he should decide to run.
Trump was already hinting about a “very major announcement.” He was fooling no one.
Republicans could not reclaim the Senate but won a very slim House majority. Some prominent Republicans also lost key state-level races.
Many conservatives blame Trump for playing a disproportionately large role in the election since he supported numerous candidates who made fictitious claims that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him. Trump’s outspoken criticism of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who easily won reelection and is viewed favorably by Republicans who may run for president in 2024, did not assist his cause last week.
Even formerly loyal allies appear to be hesitating on backing Trump for president – at least for the time being – due to his vulnerable position as de facto party leader.
That is the central question. Who is the Republican Party’s present leader?
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) said to Politico, ‘Ron DeSantis, of course. “Whether he wants to be the party’s leader or not, Ron DeSantis is,” said the senator.
Another Republican senator mirrored the opinion.
“A better marketing approach is usually one that looks ahead. It is apparent that looking back on 2020 did not work out. We should look ahead,” said Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
Graham, who has supported Trump nonstop since 2016, except for a brief interlude following the 2021 Capitol uprising, said, “Let’s see what he says after Georgia.”
Sens. Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) will compete in a runoff election in Georgia in December after neither candidate obtained a majority of the vote in the general election. Walker received Trump’s support, and a few conservatives have expressed alarm about his candidacy.
This election will not determine which party controls Congress because the Democrats have already won 50 seats, unlike the two Senate runoffs in Georgia in 2020.
