Some are used to settle accounts, others to reward marks of loyalty. For months, Donald Trump has been distilling statements of support for Republican candidates engaged in the primaries, before the midterm elections in November. Sometimes he even travels on site or helps them raise funds. A new round of polls, held on Tuesday May 24, painted a contrasting picture of his influence. There is no magic effect in his bursts of support, which sometimes surprisingly concern local polls or technical positions, but no more massive rejection of these anointings.
Georgia has focused media attention, because the former president suffered a humiliation there. Donald Trump took the risk of a form of referendum on his obsession: that of electoral fraud which would have allowed the victory of Joe Biden. Allegations repeated in a loop by his candidate for governor, former senator David Perdue, who experienced a rout against the outgoing, Brian Kemp, in the lead with nearly 50 points ahead. The latter, in his victory speech, did not even mention Donald Trump. While waiting to confront the Democratic candidate, Stacey Adams, Brian Kemp thwarted the plans of the ex-president, who wanted him to pay for his validation of the presidential results in Georgia, where Joe Biden won from a short margin.
The evening is all the more bitter for Donald Trump in this state as his other target, the outgoing Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, defeated his candidate, Jody Hice. He too had refused to rig the counting of the votes, at the time of the presidential election. Finally, the candidate supported by Donald Trump for the post of attorney general was largely defeated. On the other hand, his foal for the post of senator, the former footballer Herschel Walker, with a very controversial profile, won against the other Republican contenders.
New generation of Conservative candidates
In the press releases of support issued in recent months by Donald Trump, there is never any question of the Republican Party – except to castigate the RINO (Republicans in Name Only) designating elected officials who are too soft and conciliatory. For Trump, only the MAGA base matters (« Make America great again »), themes of immigration and crime, and of course imaginary fraud. This multifaceted commitment behind nearly 200 candidates serves as a long-term political test, allowing us to look into one of the enigmas of this American era: Donald Trump’s hold on the Republican Party. A new generation of conservative candidates has emerged, unreservedly espousing conspiracy theories. Does Trumpism still need Trump to win? The very fact that the debate exists introduces a form of uncertainty about a future candidacy of Donald Trump in 2024.
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