We just received another sign the GOP will continue to push itself closer to Trump: analysts

This Monday, Missouri GOP Sen. Roy Blunt announced that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022, leaving his Senate seat open for the taking.

According to political analysts cited by The Week's Tim O'Donnell, former president Donald Trump's popularity in Blunt's state will give a Trump-endorsed candidate the "inside track" to replace Blunt.

O'Donnell also points out that Republican senators are bailing on their seats in North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama, and Pennsylvania, meaning the GOP could run "as many as five Senate candidates from the so-called 'Trump wing' of the party next year."

While Blunt's seat would have been more competitive in normal circumstances, that just not the case in a post-Trump world, O'Donnell writes.

"So, all things considered, it appears Blunt's retirement is another sign the GOP will continue to push itself closer to Trump."