Posted on 07/07/2023 8:42:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Mr. Dowd, who served as the chief strategist on George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, evaluated the current Republican presidential primary field during a Tuesday panel discussion on MSNBC’s “Lindsey Reiser Reports” program. Mr. Dowd’s political loyalties have shifted since serving on Mr. Bush’s re-election campaign, and in 2021 he entered the race to become the Texas lieutenant governor, running a failed campaign on the Democratic ticket.
“Eight years ago, when Donald Trump first ran, Donald Trump was at 14 or 15 percent in the polls,” Mr. Dowd said. “Today he’s at 50 or 60 percent in the polls. He’s in a much more dominant position—Donald Trump—than he was in 2015 and 2016 when he still won the nomination in this process.”
Mr. Trump is the frontrunner in the RealClearPolitics Republican presidential primary polling average. With polling data across the month of June, Mr. Trump has the support of 52.4 percent of Republican primary voters across the polling average, compared to the second top Republican candidate—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—at 21.5 percent.
Mr. Dowd noted Mr. DeSantis won reelection in Florida “overwhelmingly,” securing a 19-point margin against his Democratic opponent. Yet, Mr. Dowd said, the Republican Florida governor “can’t seem to do anything when he goes out” of Florida.
NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali, who was also on the MSNBC panel discussion, added that the growing field of Republican presidential candidates is also potentially helping Mr. Trump.
“I think that the Trump campaign perspective frankly, is the more the merrier,” Ms. Vitali said adding that “the more people who are trying to counter Trump, the more ways the non Trump vote gets split up.”
Mr. Dowd said the Republican presidential primary is already shaping up as though Trump is the “incumbent.”
“The problem for Ron DeSantis, I think, and anybody else running in this race, it’s really not about them, but will some external event happen? Something that was some legal cause or something else happen that gives them a window where they can actually succeed? Because without it, I don’t see how they do,” Mr. Dowd said.
Mr. Dowd’s comments about an “external event” or some “legal cause” changing the course of the race may be in reference to the fact that Mr. Trump is facing multiple criminal indictments and investigations. Mr. Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in April on allegations he falsified his business records in order to conceal an alleged hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The former president and leading Republican candidate was indicted again in June, this time in federal court by Special Counsel Jack Smith, on allegations he improperly retained national defense documents after his presidency and obstructed government efforts to retrieve those documents.
While the indictments against Mr. Trump could pose a legal peril for the 2024 Republican frontrunner, so far they’ve correlated to a boost in Mr. Trump’s popularity among Republican primary voters.
Mr. Trump led Mr. DeSantis by around 15 points in the RCP polling average throughout the month of March. That lead began to expand in April after the Manhattan indictment.
The former president again touted a jump in his poll numbers and fundraising after the federal charges brought by Mr. Smith.
“As far as this joke of an indictment, it’s a horrible thing. It’s a horrible thing for this country,” Mr. Trump said at a June 10 rally following the federal indictment. “I mean, the only good thing about it is it’s driven my poll numbers way up. Can you believe it?”
Read more here...
speaking of Trump, this is interesting:
8 July: Tweet: Paul Sperry: BREAKING: Redacted from the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit AG Garland agreed to publicly release was the fact that a US Secret Service officer escorted Trump’s lawyers into the storage room during the search for classified docs to comply with grand jury subpoena in June 2022
https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1677497076177879041?
One knock against Trump they use is “some people are absolutely against him and will never vote for him.”.
As if these people would really drift around near the election and settle on voting for ANY GOP nominee. Not gonna happen anyway.
She is no longer on the ballot. And Trump won't get those votes back in 2024.
So thats done with.
RE: She is no longer on the ballot. And Trump won’t get those votes back in 2024.
Why not? You mean the Soccer Moms would now prefer Joe Biden? WHY?
Yes, that group of posters here on FreeRepublic, have a whole host of dishonest/fact-twisted distortions ( devoid of any objective factual foundation) that they regularly post on FreeRepublic.
They are, as a whole, a very dishonest group of Freepers
RE: AG Garland agreed to publicly release was the fact that a US Secret Service officer escorted Trump’s lawyers into the storage room during the search for classified docs to comply with grand jury subpoena in June 2022
How does that helpor hurt Trump’s case?
The mere fact that Joe “Blow” Biden the pedo pants pooper is the DNC candidate puts Trump in a more dominant position.
I am by no means saying that that is his only advantage but it’s a big one.
DNC rivals like RFK Jr. only further diminish Not-Granpa Tater’s chances.
Over Donald Trump. No debate there. Trump has ruined his brand just like Bud Light did by hiring Dylan Mulvaney as their spokesperson.
No doubt the soccer moms will vote for the guy who labels moms who complain at school boards about gay porno in school libraries domestic terrorists and has the FBI spying on them.
Crazy but yeah. We don't control the media. We had one influential guy and his name was Tucker Carlson. But now he's exiled to Twitter.
Why not? You mean the Soccer Moms would now prefer Joe Biden? WHY?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fast forward: today all these same soccer moms have found out their children are being groomed at schools advocating gender dysphoria, CRT & their daughters competing against confused males on the field or in the bathrooms.
Gotta be a point where enough is enough.
Our population is pretty much brainwashed.
If our economy tanks, maybe people will change their minds. But it's not that bad. Inflation is a little bit high but that's about it.
Trump has ruined his brand. What a fool you are. You probably don’t even believe that. You probably have a poster of Steve Schmidt on your wall.
RE: Trump has ruined his brand
Can you explain how?
If our economy tanks, maybe people will change their minds. But it’s not that bad. Inflation is a little bit high but that’s about it.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
When was the last time you went grocery shopping, filled your car up with gas, refied the mortgage on your house or checked the balance in your 401k?
the following might explain:
7 July: The Leading Report: Newly Unsealed Court Docs Reveal Stacks of Mar-a-Lago Boxes Did NOT Contain State Secrets
by Patrick Webb
https://theleadingreport.com/2023/07/07/newly-unsealed-court-docs-reveal-stacks-of-mar-a-lago-boxes-did-not-contain-state-secrets/
Well, let’s see... adultry, porn stars and whores, pay-offs, still more cases pending, conversatings about grabbing pu55y, bad mouthing pretty much everyone, is disloyal to staff, serially bad at picking people, etc. He was early supporter of mentally ill men competing against women, opposed boycott of Disney over their woke and anti-family BS, now supports abortion up to late term, which is only about 1%, praises Cuomo who killed thousands of elderly residents in nursing homes, people’s parents and grand parents. There’s more, but isn’t this enough to give most people pause before renewing support for Trump. And to newly support him, doubt any will. Trump will die a thousand cuts over the course of the campaign.
Where all the soccer moms are and he gets more views than all the alphabet networks combined.
He's getting a lot of views.
The MSM remains influential. Our schools are all leftist. Etc. I thought we would see a red wave in 2022. Turned out to be a red ripple instead. The Democrats are not going to vote for Joe Biden because they love him. Of course not. But they prefer him over Donald Trump? Of course.
And abortion is a major issue, especially among single women and it drives them to the voting polling places. They will walk on broken glass to cast their votes.
Joe Biden is vulnerable though. He's old. Senile. The Democrats do not respect him.
So there's an opening. But we have to be strategic. Someone like Ron DeSantis or Glenn Youngkin may be able to bear Joe Biden.
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