Could This Prove To Be Bad News For Donald Trump's Political Future?
The majority of Republican voters want former President Donald Trump to run for office in 2024. A Morning Consult/Politico poll reported that 67% of Republican voters think Trump should run in 2024, while 29% say he should not. It appears the former president still rules the GOP. One example of Trump's grip on Republicans was Sen. Chuck Grassley's appearance at an October 9 MAGA rally in Iowa.
The Hill reported that Grassley bashed Trump for his behavior after the 2020 election. The Iowa senator claimed Trump showed "poor leadership" and used "extreme, aggressive and irresponsible" language after losing the race. But Grassley was seemingly singing a different tune at the October 9 rally, according to Iowa Starting Line. "I was born at night, but not last night. So if I didn't accept the endorsement of a person that's got 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa, I wouldn't be too smart. I'm smart enough to accept that endorsement."
The Des Moines Register reported that the 88-year-old senator defended his appearance at Trump's rally. Grassley said, "He's a private citizen. He can say anything he wants to. I'm looking to the 2022 election and presenting my case to the people." Yet, while the 45th president appears stronger than ever, there may be signs of bad news for Trump's tentative political future.
Donald Trump's targeted GOP lawmakers are outraising their opponents
CNN reported that GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump are raking in higher fundraising totals than their Trump-backed opponents. The outlet reported that the significant fundraising of Republicans who went against Trump during the impeachment proceedings might signal trouble for him in 2024. Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, and Fred Upton of Michigan are all on Trump's "enemies" list. Still, they are outraising the GOP candidates endorsed by the 45th President to run against them.
CNN noted that Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska raised more than double what her Trump endorsed opponent, Kelly Tshibaka, collected. Murkowski was one of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. However, the Alaska senator, who's up for re-election in 2022, raised almost $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2021 alone. Murkowski wrapped September with more than $3.2 million in cash reserves, which is 10 times the amount Tshibaka has in her campaign coffers. Money talks, and these totals seemingly speak volumes about Trump's road to re-election.