Donald Trump left the White House on the lowest of low notes, handing Democrats unified control of the federal government. Republicans apparently want to keep it that way, as it’s increasingly likely that the GOP will prioritize loyalty to Trump over winning back congressional majorities.
House Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment are already drawing primary challenges. Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, who replaced another insufficient loyalist in former Rep. Justin Amash, represents a district that Trump only won by 4 percentage points in 2020. Rep. David Valadao represents a California district that Trump lost by double-digits in both of his presidential runs. They both now have Republican challengers on no basis other than their having offended Trump.
Others could face primary challengers as well, such as Rep. John Katko, another Republican in a district Trump couldn’t win. Trump reportedly has a list of Republicans he wants to punish for their lack of fealty, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for not trying to rig Georgia’s election in his favor. Trump wants to defeat Republicans more than he wanted to defeat Democrats such as Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
It’s also becoming clear that all of the 2024 speculation is pointless. Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio are among the rumored hopefuls who have decided that Trump is more of a victim than a culprit in the Jan. 6 riot. Impeachment is already a pointless exercise, with all but five Senate Republicans declaring it to be unconstitutional.
The GOP is telegraphing that it won’t put up a fight if Trump decides he wants to run again in 2024. In fact, the party is already pledging to purge the unbelievers. More House Republicans are upset by GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney than by conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
It’s a recipe to ruin the GOP’s chances of reclaiming congressional majorities in 2022 and the White House in 2024. Trump is a net detriment to Republicans in elections, as he has shown since 2016. Primary challengers to Republicans such as Valadao and Katko in vulnerable districts would make it harder for the GOP to take the House, as they will be expected to do.
Republicans will have to face down their Trump-obsessed past in 2022, when they will try to defeat Warnock and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona as part of winning back the Senate. Republicans are once again going to tie themselves to one man’s ego. Unfortunately for them, Hillary Clinton isn’t around anymore to bail them out.
