Trump's war on Republicans could doom the GOP's 2022 'red wave': conservative

In a column for the New York Times, AEI fellow Matthew Continetti raised the alarm that Donald Trump won't stay "quiet" for the next year and his attacks on Republican Party candidates who refuse to back his election theft claims will cripple the anticipated GOP "red wave" in the 2022 midterms.

According to the conservative writer, the GOP "elites" would like to ignore the former president and run on a platform of policies opposed to President Joe Biden, but Trump's interference in campaigns -- as well as his endorsements of sketchy candidates -- may hamper potential Republican Party gains.

Of biggest concern to the columnist is Tump's desire to exact revenge on candidates who refused to do his bidding when he demanded they contest the 2020 presidential election results.

Case in point: Trump's hatred of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) which led former Sen. David Perdue (R) to challenge him.

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According to Continetti, "When he announced that he would seek the 2022 Republican nomination for governor in Georgia, challenging the incumbent, Brian Kemp, he did more than enter a primary race. He illustrated the dangers facing the G.O.P. in the coming year. Georgia Republicans are divided over former President Donald Trump and torn between mainstream credibility and the conspiratorial fringe. Mr. Perdue — an ally of Mr. Trump — has made these divisions worse. The beneficiary? The Democrat Stacey Abrams."

Pointing out that in 2022, "Republicans must net only five seats in the House and one in the Senate to seize control," the columnist pointed out that there are fears among Republicans that the former president will make it an uphill battle.

Writing, "Republicans have experienced hopeful times before — only to have the moment pass. They believed that disapproval of President Bill Clinton’s conduct would expand their majorities in 1998. They ended up losing five House seats. They believed that Mr. Trump would rally the base to support two incumbent senators during runoffs in Georgia last January. They lost both seats and control of the Senate," the columnist added, "Republican victories in the midterms next year are far from preordained."

"The former president was content to keep a distance in this year’s races for governor. He won’t be so quiet next year — especially if he concludes that a successful midterm is a key step to his restoration to power in 2024," Continetti continued. "A more visible and vocal Trump has the potential to help Republicans in solid red states but doom them in purple or blue ones. Yet control of the Senate hinges on the results in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire — states Mr. Trump lost in 2020."

According to the conservative, the Republicans would be doing themselves a favor if several GOP contenders for their party's 2024 presidential nomination came forward now with plans to run no matter what Trump does "reminding him that renomination is not guaranteed."

"But that’s not the world we live in," he lamented. "Republicans appear either unwilling or unable to treat the former president as a figure from the past whose behavior has done the party more harm than good. They take false comfort in the idea that midterm elections are 'thermostatic,' the inevitable repudiation, climatic in nature, of the governing party. They assume they will win next year without doing anything of significance. And they may be right."

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