While Republican leaders in the House are still fighting and hoping to take the majority, many GOP leaders in Senate contests were not excited about Trump's potential 2024 run, particularly in Pennsylvania and Arizona where he helped recruit problematic candidates.
Despite endorsing only two winning candidates, Trump continues to deny the reality of his party's loss, while the GOP begins to reject the extremism he represents.
Although the current midterm cycle has been impacted by the Republican candidates Trump has endorsed, there is a possibility that this could happen to future candidates as well. Recent comments from Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, suggests that Trump's involvement in selecting candidates has hurt Republican chances.
This episode discusses the Republican Party's current dilemma: how to ensure they don't lose the next general election by nominating an extreme and divisive candidate, while simultaneously keeping their voters happy, many of whom are devoted to Donald Trump and his policies. The episode also touches on the Republicans' challenge to appeal to diverse voters, which they failed to do in the previous elections.
Crenshaw publicly feuds with Marjorie Taylor-Greene, a fellow Republican whom he denounces as a "performance artist" during a rally in Texas.
The Republican party faced a dip in candidate quality and underperformed in both the US House and US Senate elections, leading to a struggle of separating the influence of former President Trump from his 34% of supporters in the Republican primaries.