{"id":2337045,"date":"2024-09-05T07:23:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T11:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-skeptical-republicans-openly-hope-for-2024-loss-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-05T07:25:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T11:25:02","slug":"trump-skeptical-republicans-openly-hope-for-2024-loss-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-skeptical-republicans-openly-hope-for-2024-loss-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump-skeptical Republicans openly hope for 2024 loss &#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\">20<\/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%2Ftrump-skeptical-republicans-openly-hope-for-2024-loss-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=2337045&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>A faction of Republicans who are skeptical\u200b of Donald Trump is expressing a desire for him to lose the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appears-to-be-a-popular-lead-for-2024-straw-poll-shows\/\" title=\"DeSantis Appears To Be A Popular Lead For 2024, Straw Poll Shows\">upcoming 2024 presidential election<\/a>. This\u200d sentiment stems from their belief\u2063 that a decisive defeat would allow the party to move past Trump&#8217;s influence and return\u200d to its\u2064 pre-Trump identity. Despite many Republicans publicly supporting Trump, some express their concerns privately. They fear that his continued dominance may hinder the party&#8217;s future direction, especially after the tumultuous\u200b events surrounding the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riots.<\/p>\n<p>Key\u2064 Republican \u2064figures, including \u2063former\u2063 legislators and aides, have indicated that a significant portion of GOP elected officials and voters secretly oppose Trump but feel unable to voice their dissent publicly. The potential for\u2062 a transformational moment within the party is emphasized, with some suggesting that only through a loss can \u200cthe\u200b GOP rebuild and redefine itself. High-profile\u2062 critics such as former Senator\u2062 Pat Toomey and former Vice President Mike Pence exemplify this internal conflict,\u2063 as they publicly \u200drefuse to support Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, some Republicans believe that a clear defeat for Trump \u2062would serve as\u2064 a\u200c &#8220;fork in the road moment,&#8221; essential for\u200d the future of the party and its ability to reclaim a broader, more inclusive\u200b political identity.  <\/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\">Trump-skeptical Republicans openly hope for 2024 loss: &lsquo;Fork in the road moment&rsquo;<\/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_1746008\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A segment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Republicans\">Republicans<\/a> skeptical of former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Republicans\">Donald Trump<\/a> are hoping, both publicly and in private, that he loses decisively in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2024 election\">November<\/a> so the party can move past him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Most Republicans, including former critics like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Club for Growth President Dave McIntosh, have publicly coalesced around Trump despite past misgivings over his 2020 loss and subsequent efforts to overturn the election.<\/p>\n<p>But privately, some are supportive of Vice President Kamala Harris defeating him, believing it would be a temporary setback that brings the party back to its pre-Trump identity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our party has been hijacked by Trump and MAGA since 2016, so I think there&rsquo;s a feeling among some of us that we&rsquo;d like to move on,&rdquo; said an aide to a Republican senator, speaking on condition of anonymity to reflect candidly on the matter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen what has happened to those who come out against the former president, so I think many of these conversations are going on quietly,&rdquo; the person continued. &ldquo;If Trump loses this election and impacts down-ballot races, we&rsquo;re going to have to take a good, hard look at ourselves in the mirror.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As the presidential race enters the final stretch, a select number of anti-Trump voices have remained a needle in Trump&rsquo;s side, arguing he disqualified himself over his role in the Jan. 6 riot. On Wednesday, Liz Cheney, the ousted House Republican who served on the Jan. 6 committee, announced at Duke University she would be voting for Harris.<\/p>\n<p>But those sounding the alarm argue the GOP opposition to Trump is understated and that the protest votes against him in the Republican primary, in which former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley received in some states a fifth of the vote, extends to a quiet group of Republicans who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leonardo-dicaprio-joins-hollywood-elites-to-deliver-lesson-on-looming-climate-armageddon\/\" title=\"Leonardo DiCaprio Joins Hollywood Elites to Deliver Lesson on Looming Climate &#039;Armageddon&#039;\">hold public office<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that there&rsquo;s probably a third, I would say, of Republican elected officials, not to mention rank-and-file voters, who actually feel this way, and they obviously can&rsquo;t express it in public,&rdquo; said Craig Snyder, the director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haleyvotersforharris.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Haley Voters for Harris<\/a>, in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s also this idea that&nbsp;they want to see Trump and the people who support Trump lose their power in the party,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s kind of a push and a pull that I think is motivating a lot of these voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Snyder pointed to a handful of high-profile Republicans who did not attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July and those who have decided not to endorse Trump as a sign of the lingering discontent within the party.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have the last <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a> of the United States who doesn&rsquo;t support the current nominee,&rdquo; Snyder said of former Vice President Mike Pence, another ally-turned-Trump critic. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know when that&rsquo;s happened before in American history.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment by press time but in recent days has emphasized a theme of &ldquo;unity,&rdquo; highlighting the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AlexThomp\/status\/1831120016034451514\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>support<\/a> he&rsquo;s received from former Democrats such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and ex-GOP foes like Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA).<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the inclusion of Haley and another primary rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), at the GOP convention was seen as symbolic of the party mending fences. Each urged reluctant Republicans to go out and vote for Trump in speeches from the convention stage.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump still has high-profile critics, among them former Republican Pennsylvania <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pat-toomey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Sen. Pat Toomey<\/a>, who said Tuesday that he could not vote for Trump or Harris in the November election during an interview on CNBC.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When you lose an election and you try to overturn the results so that you can stay in power, you lose me. You lose me at that point,&rdquo; said Toomey, a centrist who represented Pennsylvania in the Senate for 12 years.<\/p>\n<p>Snyder believes a decisive loss is the only way for the party to move forward and rebuild. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a majority of the rank-and-file voters, and I wouldn&rsquo;t pretend that it is, but it&rsquo;s a chorus of people who have served the party and have served the country through the party, you know, who just really see this as &mdash; it&rsquo;s a fork in the road moment,&rdquo; Snyder said.<\/p>\n<p>Former Republican Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention and urged fellow Republicans to abandon Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3131977\/rep-adam-kinzinger-urges-gop-wake-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>in a speech in prime time<\/a>, similarly predicted losing is the only way the party will turn away from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The former congressman, who retired from the House in 2023, also served on the House&rsquo;s Jan. 6 committee and was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on the charge of inciting the attack.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think the only way that the Republican Party will wake up again is to recognize Trump is not a winning formula,&rdquo; Kinzinger said, speaking to the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>on the Democratic convention floor in mid-August.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stephanie Sharp, the co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.women4us.org\/co-founders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Women4U.S.<\/a>, an organization of center-right women working to defeat Trump, argued defeating Trump now would set the party up for a presidential win four years from now.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If Donald Trump wins this year, there is no way a Republican will be elected in 2028,&rdquo; she said in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>on Wednesday. &ldquo;The entirety of the Republican bench should be working for a defeat of Donald Trump this year because the only way that a Republican has a chance in 2028 is if Kamala Harris is elected.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\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_1746008\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1746008\"}});<\/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>Some Republicans who are doubtful about former President Donald Trump are expressing a desire for him to lose significantly in the upcoming November election, believing it would allow the party to move beyond his influence. While many Republicans, including past critics like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Club for Growth President Dave McIntosh, have publicly rallied around Trump despite their previous concerns regarding his 2020 defeat and attempts to contest the election results, there is a private faction that supports Vice President Kamala Harris winning. They see this as a necessary setback that could help restore the party&#8217;s identity prior to Trump&#8217;s rise. An aide to a Republican senator remarked anonymously that since Trump and MAGA have dominated the party since 2016, some members feel it&#8217;s time to move on. This aide noted that those who oppose Trump often keep their views private due to fear of repercussions.<\/p>\n<p>As the presidential race nears its conclusion, a few anti-Trump voices continue to challenge him, citing his involvement in the January 6 insurrection as disqualifying. Liz Cheney, a former House Republican member who served on the January 6 committee, recently announced her support for Harris at Duke University. Advocates against Trump argue that opposition within the GOP is more significant than it appears; they point out protest votes against him during primaries where candidates like Nikki Haley garnered substantial support in certain states.<\/p>\n<p>Craig Snyder from Haley Voters for Harris suggested that approximately one-third of elected Republican officials and many grassroots voters share these sentiments but cannot express them openly. He highlighted notable Republicans who skipped this year&#8217;s Republican National Convention or chose not to endorse Trump as indicators of ongoing dissatisfaction within the party.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign has not commented on these developments but has been promoting themes of unity by showcasing endorsements from former Democrats and past adversaries like Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia. However, high-profile critics remain vocal; for instance, former Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey stated he could not vote for either Trump or Harris due to Trump&#8217;s actions following his electoral loss.<\/p>\n<p>Snyder believes only a clear defeat can enable the GOP&#8217;s recovery and rebuilding process: &#8220;It&#8217;s not representative of all rank-and-file voters&#8230; but there&#8217;s definitely an influential group within our ranks seeing this as a pivotal moment.&#8221; Former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger echoed this sentiment by asserting that losing is essential for moving away from Trump&#8217;s influence.<\/p>\n<p>Stephanie Sharp from Women4U.S., an organization aimed at defeating Trump with center-right women\u2019s support, argued that if he wins now, it would jeopardize any future chances for Republicans in 2028: &#8220;The entire Republican bench should be focused on ensuring Donald Trump&#8217;s defeat this year because only then can they hope for success in four years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2337046,"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\/09\/MD-Anti-Trump-2024-scaled-768x1024.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32431,33017,3756,3634],"class_list":["post-2337045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-election","tag-political-analysis","tag-republicans","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MD-Anti-Trump-2024-scaled-768x1024.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337045","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\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2337046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}