In the aftermath of the crucial Georgia election for the US Senate so bitterly fought between the Democratic incumbent and the Trump-endorsed former football superstar, pundits are falling all over themselves trying to explain its significance and repercussions. What does this mean for the balance of power in Washington? How does this presage Trump’s bid for the presidency?
The most illuminating and succinct takeaway has come from Scott Jennings, a former aide to Senator Mitch McConnell, who observed in The New York Times that, “Georgia may be remembered as the state that broke Trump once and for all.”
The article goes on to remark that many Republicans who were already previously doubtful– or at least mindful–of Trump’s capacity for survival, are now abandoning their caution and speaking out more confidently. “If Georgia Republicans want to keep laying in the mud with Donald Trump,” said Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, “it’s going to be a purple state.” Such candor was no doubt helped along by the dismal showing of the Trump candidates in the recent midterm elections where the much heralded Red Wave did not materialize.
Even before Herschel Walker’s loss, Republicans of all stripes were eyeing Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as a preferable alternative in 2024, and he has gained ground against Trump in every major poll since Nov. 8. This week has been brutal for Donald Trump: On Monday, a parade of Republican senators lined up to condemn his recent call to suspend the Constitution; on Tuesday, a jury convicted his company of tax fraud.
Herschel Walker’s loss to Senator Raphael Warnock crystallized the suspicion that voters can recognize a flawed candidate when they see one, and no power endorsement, especially one from another seriously flawed political figure such as Donald J. Trump, can save them.
