With former President Donald Trump presumed to have the nomination locked up, many vocal Republican voters have insisted there is little need to continue the GOP primary elections. Supporters have said doing so is a waste of time and resources, especially since there is only one remaining political opponent in the primary, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and she doesn’t have any realistic path to victory. For many, it raises the question: Why continue?
Well, the answer may be that a reason to continue is because that is what the majority of voters want to happen. A recent survey by Rasmussen Reports found that most voters want the GOP primary to continue and that Haley should not end her campaign. According to the poll, 51% of likely U.S. voters believe that Trump’s opponents “should keep campaigning against him.” Conversely, only 38% of respondents felt that the election was effectively over and Trump’s opponents “should quit now.” Respondents felt it was too early for Trump’s rivals to quit.
Additionally, in what could be an ominous sign for Trump’s reelection chances, most of the people polled in this survey supported President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Rasmussen found that 47% voted for Biden, while 43% stated they voted for Trump. The poll included answers from 995 voters and was conducted between Jan. 18 and 22, according to Rasmussen Reports.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The poll results are undoubtedly interesting and indicative of the political divide in the country. Moreover, it’s objectively puzzling why most voters don’t want Trump’s opponents to drop out. Personally, I support the primaries continuing because it’s what our country has always done and getting voters engaged is a positive thing for the nation. Nevertheless, as much as I support this, even I would concede that, barring some miracle, Trump is going to be the nominee and the rest of the primary elections are just a formality at this point and pretty pointless.
Regardless of the primaries, Trump should start acting like the presumptive nominee and pivot his political efforts to focusing on Biden instead of Haley. It is February, and the general election is only nine months away. Trump has to convince millions of people who are not in his base to get out and vote for him on Nov. 5. With all the forthcoming resistance from those on the Left and some saboteurs on the Right, Trump is facing an extremely difficult challenge in doing so. It is going to be an uphill battle. It’s imperative he starts that process as soon as possible.
