Despite their public displays of fealty, deep down, swing-district Republicans know that Trump and his brand of extremism will sink their chances of holding the majority in 2024.
DCCC Spokesperson Viet Shelton:
“Vulnerable House Republicans are too weak to break from Trump and his extremism. No matter how often Donald Trump calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act, brags about overturning abortion rights, or threatens to upend our democracy, these so-called moderates will all ‘bend the knee’ to his toxic agenda, costing them the House majority.”
Read more about vulnerable Republicans bending the knee below:
In the Republican-controlled House, which has acted as Mr. Trump’s sword and shield, vulnerable Republicans who represent districts President Biden won in 2020 are speed walking to the Trump bandwagon, where their MAGA-loving colleagues are greeting them with an “I told you so.”
“It’s not just the Biden-district members who are endorsing now,” Rubashkin said. “There have been any number of congressional endorsements over the last week or so. … This is a moment where it becomes impossible to ignore the fact that Donald Trump is almost certainly going to be the next nominee of the Republican Party.”
House and Senate lawmakers across the ideological spectrum have issued statements ranging from glowing endorsements to milquetoast tweets of support after Trump trounced his opponents in Iowa and beat Haley by 11 points in New Hampshire. The fitful U-turns have become a familiar ritual for some establishment Republicans who have at first resisted Trump’s resurgence, only to switch course as his march to the nomination appears increasingly inevitable.
“I expect to ultimately endorse Donald Trump for president,” Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), whose district voted for Biden by nearly 11 percentage points in 2020, told Axios.
Duarte said the GOP primary is “consolidating fast” and that he “will strongly support the Republican candidate,” adding, “We need to save America from Joe Biden’s frailties, corruption and failures.”
“I think the choice is simple,” Bacon told a meeting of the Douglas County Republican Party. “I’m going to protect the border. I’m going to vote pro-life. I’m going to vote for conservative Supreme Court justices. I want to vote for the president who’s going to protect our business community from this regulatory chaos. … So I commit to the nominee.”
“President Trump will be the Republican nominee for president,” Williams wrote. “Our country is under immense pressure – inflation, chaos at the border, sanctuary cities, fentanyl, cashless bail, crime, energy costs – we can’t endure 4 more years of Progressive fantasies, we need a Republican in the White House.”
He added, “And I have always said our nominee will have my full support to turn this country around.”
Republicans now fear that Trump would put off those types of independent voters who will be essential to winning battleground House and Senate seats – and that could cost them control of Congress.
“Yes,” one swing-district House Republican said, when asked if he believes Trump will cost their party the House.
“Twenty percent of GOP voters will not vote for him,” the Republican member said. “Independent voters think Biden is weak, but they hate Trump. And Dems — he motivates them to vote.”
