With less than four months until the first nominating contest, many Republicans are saying more directly that they expect Trump will lead the ticket next year. Even some of his critics are moving toward that conclusion.
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota is backing his home-state governor Doug Burgum’s long shot bid for president. But he believes Donald Trump will be the nominee.
Robert Gleason, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, attended a fundraiser this month for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Yet he too expects Trump to win the primary.
And Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a veteran party strategist and ally of House GOP leaders, says he thinks the former president will probably have the nomination locked up early next year.
“I just don’t see a path for anybody that’s not Donald Trump right now,” Cramer said.
With less than four months until the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa, many elected Republicans such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), state and local GOP officials and party operatives are saying more directly that they expect Trump will lead the Republican ticket next year. Even among those who oppose him, some say they are moving toward that conclusion.
How Trump’s legal problems would factor into a general election is a variable that worries some Republicans. In some parts of the party, including factions of the U.S. Senate and among some wealthy donors, there is less palpable enthusiasm for Trump. And while many in the party have all but concluded Trump will be their nominee, some see a more fluid race and are still optimistic that one of his GOP rivals can catch him with a lengthy campaign stretch yet to come.
“I’m still holding out hope that my fellow Republicans want to throw their support behind someone who has personal integrity, respects the rule of law, aims to unite rather than divide people and actually knows how to do the job well,” said Sen. Todd C. Young (R-Ind.). “Donald J. Trump’s signature professional achievement is as a reality television star and he’s lacking in every personal quality that I, and I think every other Republican, should want in a presidential nominee. Moreover he is the least likely to win a general election.”
Such tensions in the party and Trump’s separation from the rest of the presidential pack will be on display this week. While his primary rivals are debating each other in California on Wednesday, Trump, who has opted not to participate in these events, will be in Michigan, a key general election battleground, where he plans to give a speech.
Bullishness on Trump’s prospects extends to the highest levels of GOP leadership on Capitol Hill. McCarthy said in a Fox News interview that aired last weekend, “I think he will be the nominee.
