Republicans panic that Trump's 2020 obsession is 'kneecapping' their future: report
Republican Party officials are openly rebelling against Donald Trump's obsessive fixation on relitigating his 2020 election loss, warning that his refusal to move forward is "kneecapping' the party's midterm prospects in a critical election year, reports Politico.
State and local GOP leaders are increasingly vocal in their frustration, urging Trump to abandon his election grievances and focus on a message that actually resonates with voters — the economy.
Conversations with nearly a dozen GOP state and county chairs reveal a party desperate to change the subject. Republican strategists fear that Trump's "stolen election" narrative will energize the MAGA base in primaries but alienate moderate voters tired of revisiting an election from nearly six years ago — a liability they can ill afford heading into midterms.
Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania GOP strategist and Trump convention delegate, expressed the sentiment bluntly. "I'm always one to believe you should look forward, not backward," he told Politico. "It would be better if the midterms focused on the recovery of the economy and all the good things the Republican administration and Congress are doing to move the economy forward."
Todd Gillman, chair of the Monroe County Republican Party in Michigan, issued a stark warning. "Focus on the things that matter to everybody throughout the whole country, or we're going to have a problem in a few months," he said.
Polling data support the GOP's frustration. A February Politico poll found that 52 percent of Americans identified the cost of living as a top concern, compared to just 23 percent citing threats to democracy — a view held predominantly by Democrats.
Buzz Brockway, a GOP strategist and former Georgia state representative, told Politico, "Election issues are a huge distraction. Nobody outside of a small dedicated group are talking about this. They're talking about the economy, they're talking about the price of oil."
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