The endless stream of messages raising money for the party that uses Mr. Trump’s name — and sometimes it seems like the money is going to him — is testament to his appeal to small donors. Polls also show that most Republican voters value his endorsement. “His party dominance at the voter level is unprecedented,” said Mr Stone, the longtime Trump adviser.
Mr. Trump is fully aware of this and has also claimed to be dominant over the leaders of the Republican Congress.
In the House, Mr. McCarthy, who hopes to become a speaker after the midterms, Mr. Trump on the sidelines in some primaries, for example by lobbying to stop him from supporting Illinois Rep. Mary Miller, who was drawn into the same district as Rep. Rodney Davis. mr. Trump supported her no matter what.
“McCarthy’s legitimate fear is that the majority will be won, but ten members of the House will stick together and say, ‘We’re not voting for you or whatever you want,'” said Mr Stone. He said that Mr Trump should argue those votes.
In the Senate, Kentucky’s minority leader, Mitch McConnell has not spoken to Trump since he left the White House, but also agreed to Trump’s support for Herschel Walker for the Senate in Georgia, despite some early misgivings. from his team†
Those dissatisfied with Trump’s rule as party chief, look for signs that his grip is waning, and several potential rivals in 2024 — Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Tom Cotton — have seemed less timid of late. publicly disagree with Trump as they look for possible openings.
The races in which Mr. Trump has endorsed a candidate will be studied to reduce his power. But the fact remains that many of those he contradicts in the primaries are still active as Trump Republicans. Few see an expiration date on his dominance until and unless he refuses to run again in 2024 or is defeated.