GOP strategist scorches Trump opponents for continuing 'zombie-limp' campaigns

Now that former Vice President Mike Pence has pulled the plug on his 2024 presidential nomination bid, all eyes are turning to the remaining challengers who have failed to make a dent in Donald Trump's commanding lead.

In a column for the Bulwark, noted GOP strategist Mike Murphy suggested it is time for others to follow Pence's lead and allow non-MAGA conservative voters to coalesce behind one alternative to Trump — and that contender is not named Chris Christie, Tim Scott, or even Ron DeSantis.

Beyond making it a two-person race between Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley — whose campaign at least has a pulse — Murphy called the other campaigns a waste of time and money.

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Taking on Christie first, Murphy added he enjoys watching the "blustery" former New Jersey governor taunt Trump, but the simple fact is Christie is hoping a strong showing in New Hampshire will jumpstart his moribund campaign.

However, as Murphy noted, New Hampshire voters have a history of hating Christie dating back to 2016 when he floundered in the state — and there are indications that they have not softened their opinion of him.

As for Scott, the GOP strategist suggested he is either deluding himself or he is grasping for a potential VP nod that will not happen.

"In a classic bit of last-stand dramatics, Scott recently redeployed the bulk of his staff to Iowa. That reflects the usual fading candidate’s self-rationalization: I owe it to my supporters to stay and fight on, blah blah," Murphy wrote before adding, "But that’s bulls--t. None of these candidates owe their supporters anything. What they owe is to American democracy. Their duty is to avoid luring anti-Trump voters in the early primaries and caucus into wasting their votes."

He also advised the South Carolina Republican, "Trump hates losers; Scott will never be his VP. Far better for Scott to get out now, when it means something, than to zombie-limp through Iowa only to fall into politics’ bottomless 'who cares' pit after a huge caucus day defeat in January."

Murphy then wrote that the DeSantis campaign is more problematic, writing, "He should get out, but he won’t. That’s because he has more raw ingredients to cook up a fantasy of success than the others. But he, too, stands in the way of the greater cause. And while I wish DeSantis valued the country more than he values his own political career, don’t ask me to make that hopeless bet."

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