President-elect Trump’s resounding victory last week threatens to further isolate his few remaining GOP critics on Capitol Hill.
The shrinking group of Republicans who have bucked the president-elect underscores Trump’s dominance over the party and raises questions about how this GOP faction will navigate the new political reality in Washington.
Only a handful of vocal Trump skeptics will remain in the new Congress. The slimmed-down list includes Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Todd Young (Ind.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) in the upper chamber and the last remaining House members who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, Reps. David Valadao (Calif.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who managed to clinch reelection.
But some believe those Trump critics will fare fine in Congress, despite their prior votes or statements — because Trump needs them.
“The reality is, with the narrow majority, the leadership and the president can’t afford to lose any votes,” explained Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe, once a Trump critic himself.
“The voters of their districts elected and reelected them, and you know at this point it would be not very wise to retaliate against them,” he added.
Trump defied political gravity, sailing to a second term in the White House. The party at large had a good night, as it flipped the Senate and could be on track to retain the House, offering a red trifecta.
Read more at Thehill.com
What Are Your Thoughts?
