Republican leaders are scrambling to unify a deeply fractured Republican Party, fearing that the failure to do so so quickly will ignite an intraparty battle that could sabotage its chances of regaining the House, Senate and presidency in the coming years.
Leader of the minority of the house Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy: Former official’s indictment is based on a shaky precedent Lou Dobbs hits “petty” Republicans criticizing Trump Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Trump’s call amid growing reaction MORE (R-California) has urged members of its conference to stop attacking each other after the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol and former President Trump
Donald Trump: Kelli Ward Rejects Arizona GOP Race Audit Request for Gun Sales Rises Amid Pandemic Uncertainty, Biden Votes for Gun Reform Prosecution Lawyer of Trump, Bowers, leaves the teamdismissal. He met with Trump in Florida on Thursday as part of an effort to ease tensions within the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, chair of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel
Ronna Romney McDaniel Lou Dobbs hits “petty” Republicans who criticize Trump GOP president for urging Trump not to form third parties on the last day of his term: report The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems question trial; January becomes the deadliest pandemic month MORE he also calls for an end to the dispute, and warns that emerging struggles for ideological and political purity could jeopardize the party’s chances of regaining majorities in the House and Senate in 2022.
“If we fight every day and attack and brandish the purism of the party, we will not fulfill what we need to get the House back and get the Senate back, and that is my priority,” said McDaniel, who was elected for a third term. as the top National Republican Party official earlier this month, he told The Associated Press in an interview.
The rupture within the Republican Party, which has spent the past four years almost uniquely focused on Trump and his re-election, became apparent earlier this month after a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while members of Congress they met to certify President Biden’s electoral victory.
This episode has sparked a debate among many Republicans about the future of the Republican Party and whether it should go ahead of Trump and his brand of conservative populism, which has guided the party since 2016.
But the base of Trump’s ultra-loyal supporters remains a critical force in Republican politics. Many of the activists who have entered the political stage in recent years now have immense influence over the party and have tried to punish or purge those Republicans they believe have crossed the former president.
In states like Massachusetts and Arizona, GOP members have tried to formally reprimand top Republican figures for criticizing Trump or acting in a way that didn’t fit the former president’s wishes. Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey
Doug DuceyDiumenge shows preview: new variants of COVID-19 released in the US; Redditors shake Wall Street with Gamestop shares South Carolina votes to censor Rice representation by impeachment vote Lawmakers go after governors to curb powers COVID-19 MORE (R), for example, was censured by the state GOP for enforcing emergency restrictions in an effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, the rep. Liz Cheney
Elizabeth (Liz) Lynn Cheney South Carolina GOP votes to censor Representative Rice for dismissal vote Report The Hill’s 12:30 – Presented by Facebook – Experts react to J&J vaccine data Where is Barry’s Republican Party Goldwater when do we need it? MONTH (Wyo.), The Speaker of the Republican House Conference and one of 10 Republican Party members voting to oust Trump, faces petitions for his removal from his leadership position by some of his party.
Another Republican legislator, Rep. Adam Kinzinger
Adam Daniel Kinzinger Sunday shows preview: new variants of COVID-19 spread to the US; Redditors shakes Wall Street with Gamestop shares. The note: center-right Republicans fear the party is heading for disaster. The GOP has a growing problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene MORE (R-Ill.), Acknowledged this week that his vote to oust the former president could be “terminal” to his political career, suggesting he could face a major challenge next year.
“I’ll tell anyone who thinks my vote was for politics, that they don’t know me,” Kinzinger said in an episode of the podcast “The Ax Files.” “And I’d say they don’t know politics now because, you know, you have to go through primaries.”
Censorship, primary threats, and accusations of disloyalty to Trump have shaken party leaders and agents who fear the dispute could undermine their chances of regaining power in the House and Senate next year.
“The party is basically the security staff. So now we start each race a little bit back because of divisive rhetoric, debugging, gratuitous attacks on party members, “a GOP agent said.” Then, yes, it’s pretty clear that we have to control it. ” .
The current strategy, the operative said, is to avoid escalating tensions with Trump and his supporters, avoiding further isolating those who hope to move from the Trump years.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch), Mitchell McConnell, Lou Dobbs hits “petty” Republicans who criticize Trump Biden for reviving the fight against immigration in Congress Louise Linton plays a murderous and sex-obsessed hedge fund manager in her debut as writer-director MORE (R-Ky.), Who publicly blamed Trump last week for sparking the Capitol riot, joined the vast majority of Senate Republicans in the vote Tuesday to dismiss the House’s dismissal case against the ex-president.
Meanwhile, McCarthy’s meeting with Trump on Thursday could be seen as an attempt to return to the former president’s good graces after a few rocky weeks. Given the influence of Trump’s voter base on Republican Party policy, not doing so could be detrimental to the political prospects of House Republicans.
A statement released Thursday after the Trump leadership political action committee meeting in Florida said the former president had agreed to help McCarthy regain a majority in the House in 2022.
Republicans only need a handful of seats to regain a majority in the lower house.
However, regaining the Senate may be more difficult for the Republican Party. Democrats currently have only a narrow majority in the upper house, but are facing a friendlier map in the upcoming midterm elections. Republicans, on the other hand, have to defend 20 seats, including several in competitive states.
Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida), who became the new chairman of the Republican National Senate Committee (NRSC) earlier this month, is leading Republican Party efforts to reclaim the upper house.
Scott was one of Trump’s strongest allies in the Senate and one of the few senators who opposed this month to certify the Pennsylvania Electoral College vote after the Jan. 6 riot. That vote unsettled some Republicans for their role in the NRSC, given the promise of several large donors to suspend contributions to those who voted against approving the election results.
But despite his support for the former president, last week he said he would support incumbent senators over Trump-favored primary challengers, saying he planned to focus his efforts on defeating Democrats instead of in battles. intraparty.
“Part of what I’m trying to do is get everyone to focus on, you know, what a difference there is between Republicans and Democrats,” Scott said. “I think it will be clear with a lot of things from Biden.”
In his interview with the AP this week, McDaniel also said the National Republican Party would remain neutral in the 2024 presidential primaries, even if Trump decides to run another White House nominee, offering an idea of how the party could try to appease the competition. factions in the future.
“The party must remain neutral. I’m not telling anyone to get it up and running or not to get it up and running in 2024, ”McDaniel said. “It simply came to our notice then. What I really want to see [Trump] however, it helps us regain majorities in 2022 ”.
Appeasing both Trump loyalists and those willing to leave the former president is a high order. But Republicans also acknowledged it won’t be the first time they’ll have to find that balance.
“There are always multiple factions, divisions in any party,” said Saul Anuzis, a Michigan-based Republican strategist and former state GOP president. “We have factions based on congressional districts, partisan politics and personalities.”
“We need to work on coalition policy,” he added. “It simply came to our notice then. We can’t afford to ignore one faction or another. “