The GOP's epic losing streak

Axios ^ | April 7, 2023 | Mike Allen, Zachary Basu

[lasereye]

If Republicans step back and look beyond the legal and social-media spectacle of Donald J. Trump, they'll see screaming political sirens everywhere they gaze.

Why it matters: The GOP's political trouble has been unfolding slowly but unmistakably, starting even before Trump's loss to Joe Biden in 2020.

1. First, the 2018 House elections were a disaster for Republicans: Democrats had a net gain of 40 seats to take over the House — their largest gain since the post-Watergate election of 1974.

2. Then Trump lost the presidency.

3. Next, Republicans blew two runoff elections in Georgia and lost control of the U.S. Senate. The runoffs took place a day before Trump backers stormed the Capitol.

4. Then, Republicans won the legal fight over abortion as Trump-appointed justices helped to ensure the reversal of Roe v. Wade. But the GOP lost a series of political battles over it afterward — a reflection of polls indicating that most Americans support abortion rights. GOP-led state legislatures have shown no signs of slowing their push to enact stricter abortion bans, suggesting continuing political backlash.

5. Republicans put high-profile election deniers on the 2022 midterm ballot in key state and federal races — only to see several lose winnable elections.

6. Republicans blew a chance to control the Senate by nominating too many hard-to-elect-in-a-swing-state Trump facsimiles. Their hopes of a big House majority were erased for the same reason, creating constant headaches for new Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

7. Just this week, progressive Democrats triumphed in two of this year's most consequential elections. Brandon Johnson, a teachers' union organizer, was elected Chicago mayor. In swing state Wisconsin, Democrat-backed Janet Protasiewicz flipped the state Supreme Court to liberals in a landslide, after leaning into her support for abortion rights.

8. Senate Republicans have been gifted a historically favorable 2024 map — but hard-right candidates who appeal to the GOP base again threaten to inject uncertainty into at least five winnable races.

9. Trump is driving an agenda dominated by vengeance and victimhood, diverting Republicans from the inflation- and crime-centered messages that helped them in the midterms.

   Reality check: Trump, if anything, is stronger and more likely to win the GOP nomination than he was after the November midterms.

   Republicans in Congress have rallied to Trump's defense since his indictment.

   By the numbers: For all his growing popularity among Republicans, Trump remains wildly unpopular nationally.

• Polls show Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who trails Trump by an average of 26 points among Republicans — would fare far better than Trump in a matchup against President Biden.

• Biden's approval rating has hovered around 42%, a dismal figure — but still better than Trump's.

The bottom line: Put polls aside. How likely does it seem that Trump will do better with persuadable voters than his 2020 loss when you toss Jan. 6, a 34-count Manhattan indictment and possible federal indictments into the mix?

[lodi90]

pubs have no machine.

---

Hard to have a machine when you don’t have an unified agenda. The country club and MAGA wings of the GOP have diametrically opposed agendas and never the twain shall meet.

[Freest Republican]

Lets blame the candidates despite nothing but red wins incl Trump and two red waves-

until nothing but fraud.

His endorsement record is so good that the censorship industrial complex at ballotpedia et al has obfuscated the results.

This is 100% fake news. This s/b about Obama, who lost record amounts and is cancer on the campaign trail. He barely even went out campaigning as acting POTUS in 2010 and 2014.

This is fake news fr same folks saying GOP needs to run more Romney/McCain moderates to attract independents. Not doing that Clinton is 93% to win.

[Reily]

The Rat machine is - Santa Claus with public money!

The GOP machine mostly isn’t, but over time becomes ‘me too!’.

The rent seekers know who’s in it for real and who isn’t and respond accordingly.

[Freest Republican]

The truck driver beats the Goldman Sachs billionaire incumbent in the upset of the century in the NJ gov absent fraud.

Oh but Youngkin and DeSantis are self made winners!

That is indicative of wtf is going on not this fish wrap.

[thefactor]

You keep lists of DeSantis supporters and just randomly tag us in threads? That's creepy.

Anyway, enjoy the next six years of a Dem in the White House, because that is what you want by your backing of a proven election-loser.

[McGruff]

The Fake News peddlers are back.

[Ge0ffrey]

The article evaluates three election cycles. It cherry picked and you’re cherrypicking.

[Drew68]

His endorsement record is so good that the censorship industrial complex at ballotpedia et al has obfuscated the results.

Yes, because Trump counts among his "93% winning endorsements" candidates such as Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Chuck Grassley.

Meanwhile, in the races that mattered:

Governors:

Lombardo: W
Lake: L
Mastriano: L
Michels: L
Dixon: L
Perdue: L
Abrams: L (Let's not forget Trump endorsed Stacey Abrams.)

Senate:

Johnson: W
Walker: L
Masters: L
Oz: L
Laxalt: L
Bolduc: L

Secretaries of State:

Finchem: L
Karamo: L
Marchant: L
Hice: L

And then there's Tuesday's disastrous Supreme Court loss in Wisconsin, where despite being fired up over Trump's indictment, Republicans didn't bother to show up to vote.

These are the critical swing states that Trump will need to win if he wants to return to the White House and, as you can see, with a couple of exceptions, the voters in these states totally rejected Trump.

Trump has no path to the White House in 2024 and he's not even effective as a kingmaker.

The only "winning" Trump has been doing the past three elections is to send Democrats to Washington.

[Drew68]

Anyway, enjoy the next six years of a Dem in the White House, because that is what you want by your backing of a proven election-loser.

And in '28 it'll be, "Trump is the only proven leader who can drain the swamp! DeSantis needs to wait his turn!"

We can probably write that one off as well.

[thefactor]

Even by these lunatic’s standards Trump will be too old at that point in 2028. But you never can tell with the Trumpies.

[Freest Republican]

Nice job picking cherries-

https://ballotpedia.org/Endorsements_by_Donald_Trump

That is the greatest endorsement record in US history.
It is Harlem Globetrotterlike.

There is no close second.

-it lists success percentages so one can’t even get a simple total. The wayback machine shows it is purposeful obfuscation.

Pick me some more cherries while imploring me to ignore the fraud and blame the candidates.

To the cherry picked DE race-congrats fr 2010-2016-Dems won three national races of note: Obama, PA Gov and Coons. Good job on that one/

[9YearLurker]

They’re the Washington Generals.

“In 2015, the Harlem Globetrotters management chose to end contractual relations with the Generals organization, resulting in the Generals ceasing operations. The Generals played their last game against the Globetrotters on August 1, 2015, in Wildwood, New Jersey.[11][9] Overall, the Generals had lost to the Globetrotters more than 16,000 times in their combined history[2] while winning a mere 3–6 games.[12][13]”

The deals have been made.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Generals

[dfwgator]

Baby, better come back maybe next week.

[chickenlips]

Rallies mean NOTHING They’re a sedative for actual political/ election engagement. It’s Trump’s opiate for the base. It’s a lazy strategy. They’re a pep rally to the right and a call to action for the left. They’re a distracting carnival show.

[chickenlips]

And you can add Cox in MD.

[Freest Republican]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party_strength_in_U.S._states

That has a lot of the overall political strength and shows the fake news nature of this piece.

Historically GOP has more power now than in most of the nation’s existence.

[Chad_the_Impaler]

But, if what you’re saying it right, that doesn’t explain how a state like Wisconsin has a Republican majority in the legislature.

Here's how it could be true: The red districts, of which there are many in Wisconsin, are won by Republicans with small or moderate size margins. The blue districts (e.g. Milwaukee), of which there are fewer, are won by Democratis with overwhelming margins (even unopposed sometimes). So adding the numbers, the Democrats can have the advantage in any statewide race.

[spintreebob]

“most support abortion rights”
No, most are conflicted. They are uncomfortable and don’t want to take sides. They are repulsed and act negatively to the extremists on both sides. They are especially repulsed by the lack of context with reality in hard line pro-lifers.

They are political candidates for either side. But the Pro-Lifers go out of their way to be repulsive. Of course, the media loves to feature those with whom they disagree who are repulsive.

[CedarDave]

RFK Jr running as a presidential candidate ...

Except for his anti-covid vaccine stanch, RFK Jr is in the Bernie Sanders-Liz Warren camp. Far left but presents a personable face and has the Kennedy name. One to look out for...

[imabadboy99]

It pretty much is since they started ballot harvesting and mail-in votes. There is no way those are legitimate forms of holding an election.