Fallout From McConnell-Trump Feud Grows, Dividing GOP Donors & Causing “Angst” Among Republicans

Most Senate Republicans Up In 2022 Still Declining To Express Support For McConnell, Feeling “Frustrated” And “Arguing His Comments Have Put Them In A Complicated Position”

A series of new reports continues to highlight the threat that the nasty Trump-McConnell rift poses for an already clashing and divided Republican Party going into 2022.

• CNN reached out to the 16 Republican senators up for re-election to ask “whether they still back McConnell,” but just three responded — exemplifying how incumbents like Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson and Roy Blunt are “eager to avoid being caught in the middle of a divisive fight” while primary candidates are “largely aligning themselves with the former President.” A number of GOP senators are reportedly  “frustrated” with the Minority Leader, “arguing his comments have put them in a complicated position.”

• The Hill reports the McConnell-Trump feud is dividing major donors, creating a “fundraising rift [that] could prove detrimental to Republicans” with one longtime donor admitting concern that “‘GOP money will sit on the sidelines…until Republicans get their act together.”

• Washington Examiner reports that many Republicans are feeling “angst” and “fear the fallout of a protracted public spat” between McConnell and Trump.

Take a look at the latest on the fallout from the Trump-McConnell civil war:

CNN: GOP senators facing reelection in 2022 keep mum on McConnell amid divisive fight with Trump

• CNN contacted the 16 Senate Republicans up for reelection in 2022 on Thursday about whether they still back McConnell — and just three responded.

• It’s a clear sign that Republicans are eager to avoid being caught in the middle of a divisive fight over Trump’s role in the party…

• While many Republican senators share McConnell’s view, others do not and are frustrated with the GOP leader for condemning the former President in harsh terms, arguing his comments have put them in a complicated position.

• Among the many Republican senators who did not respond when asked whether they still support McConnell were his Kentucky colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who’s been sharply critical of the GOP leader in recent radio interviews following McConnell’s remarks on the Senate floor.

• Both Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Roy Blunt of Missouri, who are close with the GOP leader, did not respond to inquiries — and may be wary themselves of inviting a possible primary challenger if they anger the former President.

• The other GOP senators who did not respond: Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma; Mike Lee of Utah; John Kennedy of Louisiana; John Boozman of Arkansas; Mike Crapo of Idaho; Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; John Hoeven of North Dakota; and Marco Rubio of Florida.

• For McConnell… his attack on Trump — and Trump’s scathing response — could reverberate in Senate primaries where candidates are largely aligning themselves with the former President in an attempt to court his base, even as McConnell has vowed to employ his political operation to push candidates he views as most electable.

The Hill: Trump-McConnell rift divides GOP donors

• The war between former President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is likely to turn into a battle over money as Republican donors will be forced to choose between Trump-backed and GOP-establishment candidates.

• The fundraising rift could prove detrimental to Republicans, who are seeking to flip both the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.

• Many Republican donors are avoiding taking sides publicly for now, but strategists see signs of things to come in 2022 and 2024.

• “I think as long as Republicans are out there talking about our own primaries and not talking about [President] Biden and Democratic policies, we’re losing,” a longtime GOP donor said. “Dem money’s going to flow; I think the worry will be some of the GOP money will sit on the sidelines, even the big establishment money, until Republicans get their act together.”

Washington Examiner: GOP angst as Trump and McConnell wage civil war

• Many fear the fallout of a protracted public spat between two of the most important Republican leaders in the country.

• The early signs are that the grassroots are sticking with Trump. In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, only 11% of Republicans hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol carried out by some of his supporters. Three out of four want him to continue to play a “prominent role” in the party’s future.

• McConnell, by contrast, has seen his approval rating among Republican voters in his own state plummet by 29 points to 41% since rebuking Trump.

###