By KRISTINA WONG | Breitbart News
Republicans are overwhelmingly
siding with President Trump over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY),
according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll published Wednesday evening.
The poll showed that
62 percent of Republicans think Trump was right to contest the election results
and an even higher 69 percent do not blame him for violence at the Capitol last
week.
The poll showed that 91 percent of
those who identified as “Trump supporters” supported his continued contesting
of the election. Of those who identified as “traditional” Republicans, 46
percent supported it, with 36 opposed.
An even higher percentage of Trump supporters
— 96 percent — said Trump makes the Republican party better, and a slim
majority of traditional Republicans — 51 percent — agreed.
Ninety-two percent of Trump
supporters want to see Trump run in 2024, while 41 percent of traditional
Republicans agreed.
The poll also showed that only 42
percent of Republicans approved of the recent behavior of McConnell, versus 63
percent for Trump.
The poll was conducted January
11-13, 2021, with 1,019 general population adults age 18 or older, and had a
margin of sampling error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.
Axios reported:
Why it matters: The survey shows why
Trump could run again in 2024 (and possibly win) if he isn’t convicted — or
banned from holding federal office — by the Senate. It also shows the peril and
opportunity for institutionalists like McConnell trying to reclaim the GOP.
A sizeable portion of Republicans
polled identified as “Trump Republicans” — 36 percent. Fifty-six percent
considered themselves “traditional” Republicans.
The Trump Republicans are still
large enough of a group to either stay and dominate primary politics or walk
away if Trump is cast out, which would weaken the GOP’s force against
Democrats.
McConnell has said he has not yet
made up his mind whether he would vote to impeach Trump, despite reporting that
he was in favor of it.
A House vote to impeach Trump passed
because of Democrat support but was a flop among Republicans, with only ten
GOPs led by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) voting to impeach. Cheney now faces mounting
calls for her resignation as the GOP conference chair.
The poll showed very little appetite
for removing Trump among Trump Republicans — one percent — and among
traditional Republicans — about one in four.
_____________________
RELATED ARTICLE
New Poll Should Have Mitch McConnell
Rethinking Support for Trump's Removal
By Matt Vespa | Townhall.com
Source: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The 2016 election showed the gulf
between the GOP base and its leadership in Congress. The base didn’t want Mitt
Romney or Paul Ryan anymore. They wanted something new. Donald Trump zeroed in
on the issue that the base was truly passionate about, which was immigration.
There were others, but Trump getting on that narrative first catapulted him to
the top of the GOP field. The base wanted fair trade deals; there was an
increased skepticism on free trade. The GOP leadership was the opposite.
As we leave 2020, it’s now a fact
that the GOP is Trump’s party. Trumpism is here to stay, and there’s not much
that can be done about it. For starters, it’s not like there’s much of a
difference between this right-leaning populist variant and the traditional
conservative Republican agenda. Both sides want a smaller government, fewer
taxes, and less regulation. They want economic growth. They want a strong
national defense. They’re both against the authoritarian political correctness
ethos. They’re for school choice. They may differ on criminal justice reform,
tariffs (though that was mostly a negotiating tactic with the Chinese), and
some aspects of the America First doctrine, but overall both wings overlap a
lot. Oh, and both sides want a conservative judiciary. I don’t see where the
massive divide is here. On foreign policy, Trumpism is averse to
nation-building and long protracted wars. The horror!
It’s also an ideology that has
brought millions more into the GOP camp concerning those who have never voted
before. The GOP of old is gone. Dead. It’s over. To use a quote from "The
Mandalorian," "This is the way."
It’s why Sen. Mitch McConnell’s
somewhat aggressive support for the Democratic impeachment push over the
Capitol Hill riot is fraught with danger. The base isn’t leaving Trump. In
fact, it wants GOP politicians to be more like the president. Even after the
chaotic scene last week, where five people died, the base isn’t leaving the
45th president. Ninety-one percent of GOP voters are still dedicated to making
America great again (via Washington Examiner):
An overwhelming majority of
President Trump supporters surveyed by pollster Frank Luntz over the weekend
said they’d still vote for the president again despite last week’s riot on
Capitol Hill.
“Despite their criticism of his
conduct since November 3rd and last week, Trump voters say they’d still
vote for him if another presidential election were held today,” Luntz tweeted
Monday.
Okay, I get it. They’re Trump
voters. They’re not leaving, but other polls are also showing the changes that
have occurred in the base. When it comes to choosing between Mitch McConnell
and Trump, GOP voters break for Trump. It’s not shocking at all. It’s why
McConnell’s alliance with Senate Democrats here on impeachment could be a
monumental blunder. Does the Capitol Hill riot change the situation? No. As of
now, and as it will be until the next election in 2024, Donald J. Trump is
bound to be the nominee should he decide to run again. Also, the so-called
Trump Republican wing is numerous in their millions — and has the ability to
truly chop the more traditional GOP at the knees if the latter does stuff like,
I don’t know — support the impeachment of Donald Trump (via Axios):
Big majorities of Republicans still
think Trump was right to challenge his election loss, support him, don’t blame
him for the Capitol mob and want him to be the Republican nominee in 2024,
Margaret Talev and David Nather write.
The survey shows why Trump could run
again in 2024 (and possibly win) if he isn't convicted — or banned from holding
federal office — by the Senate. It also shows the peril and opportunity for
institutionalists like McConnell trying to reclaim the GOP.
In addition, it helps explain why a
majority of House Republicans voted against certifying the election, and
against impeachment.
There's a deep schism in the GOP,
with a 56% majority considering themselves "traditional" Republicans
and 36% calling themselves Trump Republicans.
[…]
The Trump Republicans are still
large enough of a group to either stay and dominate primary politics or walk
away if Trump is cast out, which would weaken the GOP's force posture against
Democrats.
Sorry, Never Trumpers, but this
populist wave is going to be sticking around for a long time. You can’t purge
this wing. It’ll be political suicide.
