Former President Donald Trump plans to permanently mold the Republican Party in his image by participating in the Republican primaries in 2022.
In addition to Trump’s public campaigns opposing incumbent Republicans he considers dishonest, the former president has been seeking to remove potential GOP threats to the candidates he supports and encouraging others to run against them.
Trump enlisted Madison Cawthorn, a representative from North Carolina, to convince former Rep. Mark Walker to resign from his Senate campaign earlier this month.
In the past few weeks, Trump has spoken with MAGA-aligned Republicans who are interested in challenging GOP governors whom he has lost confidence in.
David Perdue, the former senator from Georgia, was urged by Trump to run against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, who refused to allow former president Trump to overturn the narrow victory of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden in 2020.
As for competition with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, he has been receptive to Lynda Blanchard’s candidacy for the state Senate.
Earlier this summer, the notoriously vengeful former President told associates that he believes Ivey is responsible for the decision made by the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Commission.
It was Donald Trump’s way of preventing him from carrying out a rally on the retired battleship on July 3.
When an ex-president leaves office, he or she usually does not become involved in party campaigns. However, someone like Trump does the opposite.
A person close to Trump likened the former President to the mob patriarch Vito Corleone in the “The Godfather” movie.
The former president’s close associate equated him with mob patriarch after he sought revenge on Republicans who faulted him after the Capitol insurrection on January 6, or for supporting $1.2 trillion in infrastructure funding by President Biden.
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Trump has been “pulling strings behind the scenes and guiding candidates in the right direction,” the anonymous associate said.
According to Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, the endorsement of the former President “is unquestionably the most powerful force in American politics” and that he is still receiving requests for endorsements from Republican candidates at all levels.
“When he endorses candidates, they win,” Budowich told CNN in a statement while declining to comment on Trump’s conversations with individual or prospective candidates.
Trump at the Helm in North Carolina Senate seat
Several months before Trump endorsed Rep. Ted Budd at North Carolina’s Republican convention, Cawthorn, a 26-year-old congressman, and a Trump ally on Capitol Hill had endorsed Walker’s Senate bid.
Cawthorn recently urged Walker to compete for the House instead of challenging Budd in the GOP Senate primary at Trump’s request. This has been confirmed by people familiar with the matter.
There has been some polling lately that shows Walker not only trailing Budd but also former governor Pat McCrory, another Republican Senate candidate.
Meanwhile, Budd’s supporters believe he can gain ground on McCrory by never splitting votes with Walker.
On January 6 and 7, Budd voted against the congressional certification of the 2020 election, earning Trump’s endorsement.
Also, the endorsement came as a result of the support of the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that challenged the results of the swing states in which Trump lost.
People familiar with Walker’s thinking said he is now considering running for the House. Walker declined multiple requests for comment.
Nonetheless, the filing deadline in North Carolina is early May.
Taking the Reins in Georgia Governor Seat
According to a GOP operative in Georgia, Trump is said to be putting together a “Trump ticket” that will back candidates contesting for governor, Senate, and various other offices in the state.
The Republican Trump backed the previous running back star Herschel Walker for Senate against Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and other Republican candidates.
Additionally, the former President also gave his blessing to Rep. Jody Hice against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who questioned Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election.
Perdue had lost his Senate seat in a run-off election to Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff earlier in the year.
But he is now considering a run for governor against Kemp. This is despite the fact that his former supporters are concerned that a costly primary would harm the party if he runs against Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2022.
Newt Gingrich, a former House Speaker, and other Perdue supporters argue that Perdue is the only Republican capable of uniting the party, as former president Trump has criticized Kemp, suggesting that Abrams “might very well be better” than the Republican governor.
As per people familiar with the situation, it is believed Trump told Perdue he would support him in a primary contest against Kemp.
Budowich declined to discuss Trump’s “private conversations” with current or prospective candidates.
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A Trumpian Hand in Alabama Governor Race
“Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking asses,” Brooks told Trump’s supporters during the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6 in Alabama.
Although Trump endorsed Brooks early in the race, Brooks had had a lackluster fundraising season and has been losing ground in the GOP primary, which the former President has perceived.
Three people familiar with the situation said that Trump has recently been complaining to allies about Brooks’ campaign after he was booed at a rally he held with him this summer.
The situation for Brooks is made worse because Britt, the former president and CEO of Business Council of Alabama, has beaten them both in fundraising, gained the party’s endorsement of the Chamber of Commerce, and received the endorsement of retiring Sen. Richard Shelby who Britt, Brooks, and Blanchard are seeking to replace.
If Blanchard, who served as ambassador to Melania Trump, drops out of the Senate race to run against Ivey, Brooks might be able to rally Trump supporters and defeat Britt.
Trump and Blanchard had met at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last month. She did not confirm or deny they talked about running for governor in a statement.
“It was my honor to be appointed by President Trump to serve as his Ambassador and I will continue to support the President and his America First Agenda,” Blanchard told.
“Our recent visit to Mar-a-Lago was great fun and we look forward to doing it again soon.”
Republicans all Set for the Next Year Race
Republicans feel confident they will gain back both the House and Senate in next year’s midterm elections because of the recent increase in consumer prices, supply chain shortages, and Biden’s weakened approval rating.
However, some strategists fret that Trump’s intention of re-litigating the 2020 election could deflect attention from the critical issues facing voters in the 2022 midterm elections to outdated campaigns that embrace falsehoods and look backward.
It is possible that Trump’s choices may cause him to clash with the official in the Republican party seeking to win governors’ mansions, the House, and the Senate.
The National Republican Congressional Committee and The National Republican Senatorial Committee do not back Republican candidates in open primaries, meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association backs officeholders like Kemp.
“Republicans have a historic opportunity in 2022: Biden’s presidency is falling apart, the generic numbers have never been this wide over the Democrats, and (House GOP Leader Kevin) McCarthy and (Senate GOP Leader Mitch) McConnell are recruiting good candidates,” GOP strategist Scott Reed said.
“But you know, Trump keeps looking in the rearview mirror.”
For party officials hoping to regain the Senate, Trump’s endorsements have already caused headaches in at least two instances.
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Senator Parnell, who won Trump’s endorsement in September, pulled out of his candidacy this week when a judge awarded Laurie Snell, Parnell’s estranged wife, primary physical custody of their three children in the wake of allegations that Parnell physically abused her and the kids.
Walker, a candidate for the U.S. Senate who is backed by President Trump, has been accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife, former girlfriend, as well as a third woman.
Walker and Parnell both vigorously denied the allegations.
Nonetheless, according to Budowich, Parnell had informed Trump about his plans and campaign on Monday.
“#PASen remains a top priority for Pres. Trump & the ’22 MAGA Map — rallying our movement behind the best America 1st candidate remains critical,” Budowich wrote on Twitter.
