Former President Trump’s Monday attack on Colorado’s Republican Senate candidate Joe O’Dea has angered Republicans and left them wondering if he cares about his party regaining a majority in the Senate.
O’Dea, the pro-abortion centrist who spent $4 million in the primary by Democrats, was already struggling with Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colorado).
Now, Republicans worry that his potential to cause chaos has been erased by Trump, causing frustration and resentment towards the former president.
“It certainly isn’t [helpful]Sen. Kevin Cramer, RN.D., a Trump supporter, told The Hill. “I don’t want to see O’Dea lose to Senator Bennett by a few votes just because Donald Trump urged Republicans not to vote. .”
“If [Sen.] Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.] We don’t have a chance if we go against all the Republican candidates who openly criticized him,” Cramer continued, referring to the Senate minority leader. it won’t.”
In a post on his social media site, Trump labeled Odea a “RINO” or a “Republican in name only” and said “MAGA doesn’t vote for stupid people with big mouths.”
Barb came in response to O’Dea’s statement that if he runs again in 2024, he will not endorse the former president and will actively campaign against him.
Adding to the problem, the statement came at the worst possible time for Odia, as ballots began to be distributed in states on Monday.
One Republican strategist involved in the Senate election likened Trump’s attack on O’Dea to his rhetoric over Georgia’s runoff vote after its 2020 election loss.
“If Odea is literally the difference between the Republican majority and the minority, think about the serious policy implications that come with it. It’s pretty clear that you’d be willing to mortgage your money,” said another Republican operative involved in the Senate election.
“This loyalty to him is everything, and you don’t have to be a mathematician to understand how it was done in Colorado two years ago,” the strategist added, adding that President Biden’s You mentioned a 14-point win over Trump.
O’Dea is considered one of the best Senate recruits in the Republican Party, but still faces a steep climb to defeat second-term incumbent Bennett. Colorado, where former Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) defeated former Senator Mark Yudall (D-Colorado) in 2014, has never had a Republican win a statewide general election. Secretary of State and General.
“To win a state like Colorado, you need everyone to be able to vote for you. A shooting inside a tent can have serious consequences,” said a second Republican strategist. said. “We need everyone.”
In a statement Monday to the former president, O’Dea said he was “a builder, not a politician.”
“President Trump has the right to hear him out, but I am my own man and I call it what I see. The next Biden, Trump election will tear this country apart,” UN Nikki Haley said, “It would be a better choice.”
“These elections should focus on Joe Biden’s failures, not 2020’s rehash. ‘America must move forward'”
Bennett had a 6-point lead over O’Dea, according to a Marist University survey earlier this month.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a group run by McConnell’s Top Alliance, donated $1.2 million to the O’Dea Super PAC on October 7, which will go toward buying advertising for two weeks in Denver. An SLF spokesperson said the group has not ruled out further investment in the race and will continue to monitor it.
Given the work to be done, some Republicans are skeptical that Trump’s remarks will have much impact when all is said and done. They noted that O’Dea had been vocal about his opposition to the former president for months and believed that state antipathy toward Trump would render his comments relatively invalid.
“Odea is very clear that he’s a Republican. He’s a businessman. He was very clear about what he thinks about Trump,” said a Republican with ties to Trump. said the operative. “I don’t think things will change for O’Dea either. Says he doesn’t like Trump punches O’Dea O’Dea can say “see?”
The operatives also pointed to Trump’s continued push to install supporters across the Republican hierarchy, including at the state party and county levels, as a likely reason for Monday’s statement.
“Trump wants the party to reflect him,” the strategist added.
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