After 2022, when Trump's hand-picked candidates in the crucial swing states that he needed to flip were soundly clobbered, there was an absolute reason to run.
Had these candidates persevered, it's likely everyone would've stepped aside.
But they didn't. They were nearly all defeated.
Now, the Democrats understand perfectly that all of these well-timed indictments work to rally Trump's base, better ensuring him the nomination. This is because Trump is the man they wants to run against.
The Democrats all believe 2024 will be a repeat of 2020. Trump supporters believe it will be a repeat of 2016. Unfortunately, seeing how Trump has been on an unbroken losing streak since 2018, I'm inclined to believe the Democrats will be the ones savoring victory.
The best cheater wins in 2024.
The days of even semi-honest presidential elections is over.
Everything else is noise.
Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert’s victory in an automatic recount helped bring Trump’s overall win record to 199, while 34 of his preferred candidates lost their races, according to an analysis from the NBC News political unit.
Looking just at contests deemed competitive by the NBC News political unit, based on political dynamics of those races and ad spending, 46 of Trump’s candidates won, and 33 lost.
Trump found more success in House races than statewide contests — 164 won their races, while 11 lost.
In the battle for the Senate, eight candidates with Trump’s endorsement lost their races, while 16 won. High-profile losses included battleground states that were key to Republicans’ effort to flip the Senate, including Herschel Walker’s loss in Georgia, Blake Masters’ loss in Arizona, Adam Laxalt’s loss in Nevada and Mehmet Oz’s loss in Pennsylvania.
Trump-backed candidates saw an even split in governor’s races, with 10 wins and 10 losses.