{"id":2323593,"date":"2024-08-13T07:38:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T11:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-republicans-turn-to-panic-about-their-nominee-and-the-polls-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T07:41:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T11:41:13","slug":"its-republicans-turn-to-panic-about-their-nominee-and-the-polls-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-republicans-turn-to-panic-about-their-nominee-and-the-polls-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Republicans\u2019 turn to panic about their nominee and the polls &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fits-republicans-turn-to-panic-about-their-nominee-and-the-polls-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323593&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the increasing concern among Republicans as former President Donald Trump struggles in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-democrats-worry-about-their-political-futures-as-bidens-approval-plunges\/\" title=\"Report: Democrats Worry About Their Political Futures As Biden\u2019s Approval Plunges\">polling averages<\/a> against \u2062Vice President Kamala Harris, marking the first time in months that Trump is trailing. This \u200dshift has led some Republicans to privately contemplate a change in their nominee,\u2063 reminiscent of the Democrats&#8217; last-minute switch from Joe Biden to Harris during the last election cycle. As the Democratic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inside-the-initial-costs-for-the-democratic-national-convention-in-chicago\/\" title=\"Initial costs for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.\">convention approaches<\/a>, they seem to have revitalized their\u2062 campaign, aided by favorable media \u2062coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Republican anxieties echo the past worries of Democrats regarding Biden&#8217;s capabilities, \u200bparticularly following his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-biden-the-debate-stakes-couldnt-be-higher-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"For Biden, the debate stakes couldn\u2019t be higher - Washington Examiner\">poor debate performance<\/a>. Trump, initially seen by many as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/not-just-the-rnc-trump-casts-a-shadow-over-the-democrats-too-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Not just the RNC: Trump casts a shadow over the Democrats, too - Washington Examiner\">spent political force<\/a>, is now facing a tightening\u2064 race,\u200c which has shocked some in the GOP who felt confident about their position. Recent polling shows Trump leading\u2063 Biden but closely trailing Harris, prompting questions among\u200b Republicans about his ability to maintain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jim-acosta-accuses-guest-of-saying-the-same-thing-over-and-over-after-acosta-himself-repeated-the-same-phrase-3-times-in-30-seconds\/\" title=\"Jim Acosta Accuses Guest Of \u2018Saying The Same Thing Over And Over\u2019 \u2014 After Acosta Himself Repeated The Same Phrase 3 times In 30 seconds\">message discipline<\/a> and effectively counter Harris&#8217;s rise.<\/p>\n<p>The article suggests that, \u200dunlike\u2064 Biden, Trump has\u2062 a stronger \u2064base \u2064and is less likely to step aside for another candidate, although there is\u2062 internal pressure for him to better define \u2064Harris&#8217;s platform in\u2062 his campaign \u2064messaging. Ultimately, the article captures the growing insecurities within the Republican \u200cParty as they grapple with Trump&#8217;s campaign \u2064strategy\u200d and potential vulnerabilities leading up\u200b to the election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">It&rsquo;s Republicans&rsquo; turn to panic about their nominee and the polls<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1728947\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>With former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> trailing in the polling averages for the first time in months, Republicans are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3119002\/trump-veers-off-course-harris-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>starting to panic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s deficits as a candidate have some Republicans privately pining for the switcheroo Democrats pulled off at the top of their ticket from President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> to Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As their convention approaches, Democrats appear to have breathed new life into the campaign, with a little bit of help from their friends in the media.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican panic is nothing like that Democratic freakout after Biden&rsquo;s June 27 debate flop, which ultimately knocked the sitting president out of the race. But it is reminiscent of the gnawing doubts Democrats had about Biden going into that debate.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats were growing increasingly worried that Trump, a defeated former president they once believed was spent as a political force, had a small but consistent lead in the battleground states and looked like he might even win the popular vote.<\/p>\n<p>Younger Democratic voters and a nontrivial slice of the political press had never seen a Republican presidential candidate have such an extended lead in the national polls. The last time it happened, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-w-bush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>George W. Bush<\/a>&rsquo;s reelection in 2004, was only the second time the GOP standard-bearer won the popular vote since 1988. And even then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joh-kerry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>John Kerry<\/a> had managed to take the lead at some point by the July 4 weekend.<\/p>\n<p>That was one reason many Democrats were upset that Trump was maintaining a lead that was surmountable by historical standards. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>final <em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average<\/a> showed Trump ahead of Biden by 3.1 points. By comparison, George H.W. Bush erased a 17-point Michael Dukakis polling lead to win the White House in 1988.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s evident and growing flaws as a communicator at age 81, seen by many voters as a reflection of his broader fitness for office, wiped out whatever remaining confidence Democrats had in his ability to manage any kind of comeback.<\/p>\n<p>Now Republicans find themselves in a similar situation. They are shocked by Harris&rsquo;s rise in the polls just weeks after they seemed to have the 2024 election well in hand. It has reminded the more timorous Trump supporters among them of everything they have always disliked about him. They question whether Trump has the message discipline required to close an even narrower gap with Harris,&nbsp;0.4 percentage points in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>national average<\/a> as of Monday night,&nbsp;by the start of early voting or November.<\/p>\n<p>It is easy to imagine either Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) or former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley having been better prepared for the Democrats&rsquo; ticket switch than the Trump camp appeared to be. Indeed, Haley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3100160\/kamala-harris-creates-small-opening-nikki-haley-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>regularly predicted<\/a> Harris would replace Biden one way or the other, while DeSantis has been much more focused on his anti-Harris messaging since the president dropped out.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For these same Republicans who want to be as mean and nasty as the Democrats, the question must be asked: Is it time to ditch Donald Trump for a candidate who can win?&rdquo; asked influential conservative radio talk show Erick Erickson. (He did ultimately conclude the answer was no.)<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Biden, Trump is already his party&rsquo;s nominee. He also won that nomination by beating DeSantis and Haley, not Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Marianne Williamson. He has a stronger base than Biden and would tell anyone asking him to bow out for the good of the party to pound sand.<\/p>\n<p>Trump is being advised, perhaps begged, to adapt his &ldquo;stump speech to define Vice President Harris as liberal and weak, advisers tell us. And praying he&rsquo;ll stop the recidivistic pull to simply improvise haphazardly,&rdquo; <em>Axios<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/08\/11\/trump-slump-assassination-attempt-2024-election?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet even at the height of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3070141\/message-discipline-trump-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Trump&rsquo;s message discipline<\/a>, when he refrained from doing anything to overshadow Biden&rsquo;s implosion, the former president&rsquo;s rally speeches and Truth Social posts were replete with wild material. A campaign predicated on Trump never leveling personal insults, improvising at live events, or venting on social media for 90-odd days was never in the cards.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, branding Harris and Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-walz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN) was always going to be a full-party project not wholly dependent on the nominee&rsquo;s stump speech.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign may already be moving in that direction with a return to X with tighter messaging, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3114707\/vance-comes-into-own-trump-attack-dog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bigger messaging role<\/a> for running mate Sen.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> J.D. Vance<\/a> (R-OH), and a battleground state advertising blitzkrieg.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans don&rsquo;t have the same options Democrats did when it comes to dealing with their concerns about the top of the ticket. All they can really do is avoid making their renewed fears of losing a self-fulfilling prophecy.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1728947\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1728947\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s now the Republicans&#8217; turn to feel anxious about their nominee and the polling situation. With former President Donald Trump falling behind in polling averages for the first time in several months, there is a growing sense of alarm among Republicans. Some are even wistfully considering a similar maneuver to what Democrats did by replacing President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of their ticket. As Democrats gear up for their convention, they seem to have revitalized their campaign, aided by favorable media coverage. While Republican concerns don&#8217;t quite match the Democratic panic following Biden&#8217;s poor debate performance on June 27\u2014which ultimately led him out of the race\u2014they do echo some of the doubts that Democrats had about Biden before that debate.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are increasingly worried that Trump, once thought to be a spent force after his defeat, has gained a slight but steady lead in key battleground states and could potentially win the popular vote. Younger Democratic voters and many political journalists have never witnessed a Republican candidate maintaining such an extended lead in national polls; this hasn&#8217;t happened since George W. Bush&#8217;s reelection in 2004 when he was only able to win popular support twice since 1988.<\/p>\n<p>The final RealClearPolitics average showed Trump leading Biden by 3.1 points\u2014a stark contrast to George H.W. Bush overcoming Michael Dukakis\u2019s significant lead back in 1988. Meanwhile, Biden&#8217;s increasing communication issues at age 81 have eroded any remaining confidence among Democrats regarding his ability to mount a comeback.<\/p>\n<p>Now Republicans find themselves facing similar uncertainties as they react with surprise at Harris\u2019s rise just weeks after feeling confident about winning the upcoming election. This shift has reignited concerns among more cautious Trump supporters who question whether he possesses the necessary message discipline to close an even smaller gap\u2014currently just 0.4 percentage points behind Harris according to RealClearPolitics\u2014before early voting begins or by November.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to envision either Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) or former U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley being better equipped for any potential switch on the Democratic side than Trump&#8217;s team appears right now; Haley had consistently predicted Harris would take over from Biden while DeSantis has focused heavily on anti-Harris messaging since Biden stepped down.<\/p>\n<p>Influential conservative radio host Erick Erickson posed an important question: &#8220;For these same Republicans who want to be as mean and nasty as Democrats, is it time to replace Donald Trump with someone who can actually win?&#8221; Although he ultimately concluded no change was necessary, it&#8217;s worth noting that unlike Biden, Trump is already firmly established as his party&#8217;s nominee after defeating both DeSantis and Haley\u2014not lesser-known candidates like Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) or Marianne Williamson.<\/p>\n<p>Trump enjoys stronger support within his party compared to Biden and would likely reject any calls for him step aside for party unity without hesitation. Reports suggest he&#8217;s being urged\u2014perhaps even pleaded with\u2014to refine his campaign messaging against Vice President Harris while also curbing his tendency towards improvisation during speeches.<\/p>\n<p>However, even during periods when Trump&#8217;s message discipline was strong enough not overshadowing Biden\u2019s struggles, his rally speeches were often filled with unpredictable content rather than sticking strictly on point\u2014a campaign strategy relying solely on avoiding personal attacks or off-the-cuff remarks over nearly three months seemed unrealistic from day one.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for them branding efforts against both Harris and Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) will involve collective efforts across all party members rather than depending solely upon what comes out during Trump&#8217;s speeches alone.<br \/>\nThe Trump campaign may already be shifting gears towards this approach through tighter messaging via X platform along with increased visibility from running mate Senator J.D Vance (R-OH), alongside aggressive advertising campaigns targeting battleground states.<br \/>\nUnlike Democrats facing similar challenges earlier this year though\u2014the options available aren\u2019t quite parallel; all Republicans can really do now is work diligently so these renewed fears don\u2019t become self-fulfilling prophecies!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2323594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/trump_harris_republican_panic.webp.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6571,33017,15638,3756,32076],"class_list":["post-2323593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-elections","tag-political-analysis","tag-polls","tag-republicans","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/trump_harris_republican_panic.webp.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}