Republicans are trying to inject large donations into the campaigns of candidates and politicians who have taken a stand against Donald Trump as they seek to take advantage of their clutches amid the escalating Republican civil war.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming made a fundraiser call with about 50 Republican donors on February 5 to discuss her re-election campaign in 2022 after she joined Democrats in the House to vote for Trump’s impeachment for incite the riot at the Capitol.
Michael Epstein, a major GOP donor from Maryland, said The Guardian that many donors in the call must give the maximum amount of $ 5,800 to Cheney’s campaign to counter Trump’s efforts to expel her. “We want to show a very big cycle for it to scare the competition,” he said. “We want people to make judgments based on what is right.”
Trump’s loyal supporters and congressional allies pledged to retaliate against congressional Republicans who supported Democratic impeachment efforts for the second time, as well as against those who stand against their MAGA political movement. In an impassioned statement attacking Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, Trump said: “I will support the primary rivals who advocate Making America Great Again and our America First policy.”
Drew Angerer / Getty
The GOP evolved into a civil war between the Trump wing and the establishment wing, impatient to end its influence in the party.
Despite his defeat in the elections for President Joe Biden, recent polls show that the former president has managed to maintain his base of supporters. According to the latest USA Today / Suffolk poll, 46% of Trump voters say they would leave the Republican Party to join the ex-president’s new movement if he created one, while only 27% would remain.
Nikki Haley, the UN ambassador under the Trump administration, is planning to hold virtual fundraising events in early March for her Pac, called Stand for America, as she considers a possible presidential run in 2024.
According to the Guardian, dozens of major Republican donors are interested in Haley because she harshly criticized the former president during his impeachment trial in the Senate. Haley’s Pac is also expected to support the campaign by Cheney and other Republicans who have publicly positioned themselves against Trump.
The number of donors seeking to support anti-Trump campaigns shows the growing movement of desperate Republicans to maintain the conservative base and repel attacks from within the MAGA crowd.
Trump left the White House with virtually no public platform, but his dominance over the Republican Party is still evident in allies like Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, as well as in the last group of Senate candidates, including Josh Mandel.
“I am fully committed to promoting the America First Trump Agenda and taking down [Representative] Anthony Gonzalez! “Mandel said after announcing his candidacy to replace Ohio senator Rob Portman.” In Washington, I’m going to pulverize the Unipartite – that conspiracy of Democrats and Republicans who look the same and don’t defend anything “,
McConnell acknowledged that he may be on a collision course with the former president on his way to regaining a majority in the Senate. “My goal is, in every possible way, to have nominated representatives of the Republican Party who can win in November,” he told Politico last Saturday. “Some of them may be people the ex-president likes. Some may not be. The only thing that interests me is eligibility.”
Newsweek contacted Trump representatives for comment.