Never-Trumpers were hoping that South Carolina has the potential to serve as a key obstacle preventing the former president from securing his third Republican presidential nomination. However, it is noteworthy that thus far, none of the competing campaigns or their affiliated superPACs have allocated substantial financial resources towards directly criticizing him in their advertising efforts.
Currently, there is a lack of a prominent anti-Trump super PAC or substantial donor support aimed at removing him from his position as the leader of the party. Consequently, there is apprehension regarding the wisdom of expending financial or political resources to undermine Trump, as it may prove to be an unproductive endeavor.
Indeed, the two prominent external political entities that have been disseminating advertisements encouraging voters to distance themselves from Trump have thus far failed to fulfill the extensive anti-Trump expenditure campaign that several members within the party had anticipated.
With the primary election five months away, the opposition against Trump exhibits fragmentation and diminished strength since none of the Republican contenders can rival the former president’s popularity in the polls even his legal challenges.
Furthermore, this issue is not limited to South Carolina alone. At the national level, the potential faction within the Republican Party that opposes President Trump has not emerged, and political analysts from the GOP suggest that it may be too tardy for such a development.
Even in instances where a conservative faction attempts to criticize Trump, their efforts typically result in just a superficial impact, primarily centered around apprehensions regarding his capacity to outperform President Joe Biden. Indeed, throughout the summer, a particular position within one of these collectives was initiated by a voter expressing, “I love Donald Trump.”
“Where were all these people who were speaking a big game [about stopping Trump] when it came time to put rubber on the road?” One exasperated advisor for a presidential campaign not affiliated with Donald Trump expressed their discontent. “The bare minimum they could have done was make sure he was so damaged that he wasn’t sitting at 50% in the polls. But because they sat on their hands, they’ve essentially ceded the nomination to him, and it’s through inaction.”
Already this year, two prominent conservative organizations, namely Americans for Prosperity Action and Club for Growth, expressed their determination to oppose the reemergence of Trump as the leading figure inside the party.
The Club for Growth organized a donor retreat in Florida during the month of February with the objective of building support for a Republican ticket that does not include Donald Trump. A total of five Republican presidential contenders were present at the event, including businessmen Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Vivek Ramaswamy
According to data provided by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, the organization has only expended a total of $6 million thus far.
The advertising campaign has effectively come to a standstill. According to AdImpact, in the month of August, the political action committee Win It Back, which is linked with Club for Growth, allocated a total of $2.5 million towards the dissemination of anti-Trump advertisements specifically targeted towards the state of Iowa. However, as of September, the expenditure on advertisements has only amounted to $5,000.
According to Lucy Caldwell, a political strategist who assumed the role of campaign manager for Republican candidate Joe Walsh during the 2020 primary campaign against Trump, “It’s a totally insignificant amount of money. The anti-Trumpers, by and large, are not even getting engaged in the Republican primary this year,” she whined.
In February, the philanthropic network established by affluent siblings Charles and David Koch, known for their conservative leanings, announced their intention to actively participate in the upcoming 2024 Republican presidential primary. Their objective is to initiate a transformative shift in the political landscape, aiming to usher in a fresh era for the nation.
According to a memorandum written by Emily Seidel, a senior adviser at Americans for Prosperity, “The best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter. The American people have shown that they’re ready to move on, and so AFP will help them do that.”
According to Bill Riggs, a representative from AFP Action, the organization has allocated a substantial amount of $11 million towards advertising expenditures, including reservations for future placements. These advertisements aim to convey to Republican audiences that selecting a candidate other than Trump would be the most effective strategy in defeating Biden.
According to a Republican operative affiliated with a competing primary campaign to that of Trump, “If you’re looking for AFP to be the tipping point, they’re not.”
A representative of the organization expressed opposition to the notion that it lacks dedication to promoting a conservative alternative to Trump. Instead, they asserted that emphasizing Republicans’ apprehensions regarding Trump’s capacity to defeat Biden constitutes the most impactful message strategy. The organization has recently released a new advertisement characterizing the tumultuous events around President Trump as mentally and physically draining.
“We continue to find that Trump’s support is soft — he is the weakest candidate against Joe Biden, and a significant number of his supporters are open to an alternative. Those are the voters we’re focused on persuading,” according to Riggs. “To them, Trump’s baggage and electability are the issues they’re most concerned about — and they should be. Joe Biden’s approval rating is about as low as you can get, and Trump still loses the key battleground states.”
The organization also reports having engaged with 4.3 million potential primary voters this year through door-to-door outreach activities in strategically important states.
Nevertheless, several Republican fundraisers across various regions have also exhibited doubt over the existence of any residual opportunity, given the solidification of Trump’s position in the polls during the summer months.
Source: NBC News
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