Former President Donald Trump remains the clear front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination — but No to defeat President Joe Biden in the general election. And when that second fact resonates with Republican voters, the first must change.
Republicans want to win but understand (better than Democrats, it seems) that their candidates also need to win the support of moderates.
Trump’s failure on that front is why he lost in 2020: four years of clamoring to please his fans alienated millions of people who (mostly) approved of his policies or at least their results. given
And his behavior from Losing has made the problem worse: that is still Obsessively insisting that he was the true winner, moves that tire even those who wish to forget.
His age, just two years younger than Biden, doesn’t help. Factor in his erratic behavior, this negates one of voters’ biggest concerns about the incumbent.
For proof, look no further than the recent crop of polls showing Trump winning over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the ’24 nomination.
He is up eight points (when he was down four). in the Yahoo News/YouGov survey; Emerson puts him past 30; By Echelon Insights and Fox News, 15.
But repeatedly the Very same choice Usually show Trump losing to Biden – while DeSantis will win.
In summary, those polls show:
1) G.O.P Voters’ memories are hazy (for now) when it comes to Trump’s midwifed disaster in last November’s midterm elections, as the candidates he endorsed came under fire across the country, leaving the Senate And it almost cost Republicans control of the House.
but 2) independent Voters still won’t have him but he will go for one person Democrats (and the dam-loving media) hate every bit as much. Trump himself is the problem.
DeSantis, by the way, won in a landslide in November, adding nearly 20 points to his winning margin from four years ago. Unlike Trump, that is wins The once-skeptical libertarian.
Trump held a slight edge with Republicans last month as he has been actively campaigning, while DeSantis has yet to throw his hat in the ring.
But even Trump’s victories are telling: He starred at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, talking about all the successes of his four years in office and the devastations brought about by his successor.
It won applause from the crowd – but it was too far small than previous CPAC audiences.
That’s because the outfit is now run by a full-on Trumpie who managed to shrink its base before being embroiled in an ugly harassment scandal. Many solid conservatives, CPAC veterans, stayed away.
Don’t get us wrong: DeSantis could enter the race and flop, leaving another candidate to become Trump’s primary choice. But he is universally seen as Trump’s strongest “challenger”.
Indeed, although still on the sidelines, DeSantis is polling more than any “No.” 2nd Republican election since Ronald Reagan in 1976.
Reagan came close to being beaten office bearer President Gerald Ford for the nomination that year. Ford loosened up; Reagan, in 1980 to win it all.
The fact is that the majority of Americans do not want to re-elect Trump or Biden in 2024. Democrats seem unable to stop Joe, but Republicans have plenty of time to settle on a better bet than Don.
If GOP voters want to win back the presidency, they need to look to the future and rally behind a conservative who can win.
