Many are speculating that Donald Trump's seemingly unbreakable hold on the Republican party might finally be starting to slip after the 2022 midterm elections.
A recent poll from Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) and Harris Poll indicated that many voters feel that Trump was the biggest loser after the 2022 midterms—20% of them, in fact.
Another 14% indicated that they thought it was "MAGA Republicans" and a further 12% said "Mainstream Republicans".
15% said they thought Democrats were the losers. Meanwhile, 23% said that they didn't know or were unsure of who the biggest loser was.
The co-director of the survey, Mark Penn, said of Trump:
"Trump emerges from the election a far weaker candidate for reelection than before the midterms."
"He remains under water in his personal rating of 44 percent, is seen as having backed losing candidates and now has the possibility of having to fight a real primary in the Republican parties as he drops below 50% in a Republican primary."
"That’s why voters see him as the biggest loser."
Many of the Trump-endorsed candidates up and down ballots lost during the midterm, so many are speculating that a Trump endorsement doesn't carry the weight that it once did with voters.
Even some Republican strategists are agreeing with Penn's assessment.
Like Arizona-based strategist and former Trump campaign member Brian Seitchik, who said:
"I do think that Trump was absolutely the biggest loser."
"The policies of Donald Trump were a win, but when the rubber hit the road and Donald Trump reemerged and started handpicking candidates, some of whom were grossly underqualified, I think people were calling it, ‘Oh yeah, the chaos."
"I can’t take any more of this sh*t.'"
Seitchik even thought that Trump's choices in candidates may have been more of a driving force getting opposition to the polls than the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"While many point to the Dobbs decision, I think it’s the reemergence of Trump that really cost us."
Twitter users jumped at the chance to make fun of Trump, as usual.
\u201c@thehill All he does is lose. Time for the old man to retire.\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1669120267
\u201c@thehill\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1669120267
\u201c@thehill You have no idea how badly I want Trump to see this headline\u2026\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1669120267
\u201c@thehill He's just tired of all the #Winning \ud83e\udd2a\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1669120267
\u201c@thehill\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1669120267
While it may seem like a good thing that Trump is falling out of favor, many think that the next darling of the Republican party will be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
15% of respondents indicated they thought DeSantis was the "biggest winner" of the election and a further 46% said they would vote for DeSantis if Trump were to not run in the primary election.
Given DeSantis' track record, this may not be as much of an improvement as many might have hoped.
