The Capitol, Washington, D.C.
The most recent sign of trouble ahead for the GOP is a serious discussion among dozens of former Republican officials to form a “center-right breakaway party” to go head-to-head with the Republican Party for conservative voters. “More than 120 of them held a Zoom call last Friday to discuss the breakaway group, which would run on a platform of ‘principled conservatism,’ including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law—ideas those involved say have been trashed by Trump,” writes Reuters.
This is just one of a handful of recent events that suggest the Republican Party is headed for calamity, at least in the short term.
Here’s a few other notable factors:
- Voters are fleeing the GOP: Voter registration data from states across the country show an unusually high exodus of people changing their party affiliation away from Republicans following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The New York Times has some updated numbers this week, including the loss of more than 10,000 voters in Arizona, nearly 8,000 in North Carolina, and more than 12,000 in Pennsylvania—all states that will figure prominently in control for the Senate in 2022. “Nearly every state surveyed showed a noticeable increase” in GOP defections, writes the Times.
The Republican Party’s image is plummeting: Americans’ views of the GOP have slid seven points since early November to being seen favorably by just 37% of the public, according to Gallup. It’s not the historic low of 28% the party reached when its leaders forced a government shutdown over their doomed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but the trend line also hasn’t evened out yet—so who knows. Nonetheless, it’s a damning data point when paired up with the voter registration fallout since the Capitol siege. It also does not bode well for the GOP ahead of a vote on whether to acquit Donald