Trump's insurrection is making life difficult for potential 2022 GOP candidates: report

According to a report from CNN, Republicans considering running in the 2022 midterm elections are under intense scrutiny by voters over their stance on Donald Trump's attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election and how it will affect their prospects.

As the Republican leadership battles it out over how to address the Jan. 6th insurrection the president incited, potential candidates who criticized the president for his actions are expressing doubts that they can survive a brutal primary when rabid Trump partisans are expected to turn out in droves.

Case in point: the race for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.

According to CNN's Alex Rogers and Manu Raju, former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory is admitting that he might not be able to make the November 2022 ballot because he criticized the former president for his actions that led up to the Capitol insurrection.

"Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory acknowledged reality in 2020: former President Donald Trump lost. He then explained why -- and objected to Trump's baseless effort in Congress to overturn the election," the report states. "And in the high-stakes North Carolina primary, McCrory is trying to reconcile his criticism of Trump from his radio program, telling CNN he backed 'almost all' of the former President's policies, supported his reelection effort and opposed both times Trump was impeached by the House, including on a charge of inciting the Capitol insurrection."

With McCrory admitting that he'd welcome Trump's endorsement, he may have an uphill battle as his opponents point out his inconsistent support for the former president.

Former Rep. Mark Walker "...has sensed an opening in McCrory's criticism of Trump, who won the state both in 2016 and 2020. 'One day he's all about pro-Trump; the next day he's taking a personal shot,' Walker told CNN."

The report notes McCrory may also be facing Lara Trump, wife of Trump son Eric, as well as GOP Rep. Ted Budd who "who voted to throw out the electoral results in Arizona and Pennsylvania, just hours after the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol and signed onto a Texas lawsuit seeking to discard millions of votes across key battleground states," which may complicate his chances.

According to Jonathan Felts, Budd's political adviser, "Given President Trump's continued popularity in North Carolina, McCrory's disconnect with Trump and Trump voters will be a significant problem for him in this primary."

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