OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Things are looking fantastic for former President Donald Trump as he attempts to become the opponent for President Joe Biden.
Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt said that if more than one contender not named Trump heads into the South Carolina, and in particular the Florida primary against him, it would “effectively” make the former president the nominee.
Hewitt spoke to Fox News about the endorsement of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by Bob Vander Plaats in Iowa.
Vander Plaats has endorsed the victor in the past three Iowa caucuses, but in each of those cases, that person did not become the nominee of the Republican Party.
“It is endorsement season. In fact, we had one on this show last night. Bob Vander Plaats in Iowa… Hugh, you speak with the American people every day. Do these endorsements move the needle?” Mike Emanuel, who hosted the panel on the Fox News show “Special Report,” said.
“Yes, they do in Iowa,” the radio host said. “Bob Vander Plaats is probably the most influential non-elected political activist in the United States. Every time that there is a Republican primary there, combined with the governor there, that’s a big one-two punch for Governor DeSantis.
“But the reality is, if there is more than one contender among Governors DeSantis and Christie and Ambassador Haley come South Carolina or Florida, then former President Trump has effectively won,” he said.
“They can’t go into Florida with more than one candidate and Mr. Ramaswamy doesn’t really matter in this calculation. If the field doesn’t consolidate, I don’t see how Donald Trump isn’t the nominee,” he said.
The news just keeps improving for Republicans.
According to Newsweek, the election map for the Senate looks even bleaker after West Virginia Moderate Dem Sen. Joe Manchin announced he won’t be seeking reelection, though he was expected to face an uphill battle against GOP Gov. Jim Justice, who is seen as popular in the Mountaineer State.
“The senator’s decision adds further pressure to Democrats, who are likely to struggle to retain control of the Senate next year as they are confronted with a difficult election,” Newsweek noted further, adding:
Six Democratic senators are facing reelection in states that former President Donald Trump won at least once in the last two presidential elections—including the crucial swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination, while President Joe Biden is once again seeking the Democratic nomination. There are no Republican senators facing reelection in states that Trump lost in either of the last two presidential elections.
When Trump beat two-time presidential loser Hillary Clinton in 2016, there were 34 Senate races, all won by the party that won the presidency in that state. In 2020, when Joe Biden won, his party won in 34 of 35 states.
“Democrats have multiple pathways to protect and strengthen our Senate majority and are in a strong position to achieve this goal,” David Bergstein, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) communications director, told Newsweek earlier this week.
“In addition to defending our battle-tested incumbents, we’ve already expanded the battleground map to Texas and Florida, where formidable Democratic candidates are outraising unpopular Republican incumbents, and the DSCC is making investments to lay the groundwork for our campaigns’ victories,” Bergstein added.
In Arizona, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent, will likely will face a Republican and Democratic challenger if she decides to run again. She has filed to do so but has not yet announced an official bid. Trump won the state in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
The same is true for Michigan, where Democrats will try to hang onto a seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring. She was reelected in 2018, but only with 52.3 percent of the vote.
In Montana, traditionally a red state, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is running for reelection, and Republicans believe they have a good opportunity to flip his seat. He only narrowly won reelection in 2018 with just over 50 percent of the vote.
“Once considered a swing state and a bellwether for presidential elections, in recent years Ohio has been solidly Republican,” Newsweek reported. “However, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is seeking a fourth term in 2024 after he was reelected in 2018 with 53.4 percent of the vote in the increasingly red state.”
