GOP operative: Trump voters will turn on congressional Republicans if they publicly concede election


Republican lawmakers are publicly supporting President Trump's election legal efforts as part of a "transactional" move, The Washington Examiner reports.
In private, writes the Examiner, many Republicans concede President-elect Joe Biden won the election and are skeptical that the Trump campaign's claims of widespread voter fraud will amount to anything. But there's reportedly also a sense that if they don't stand by the president now, more vulnerable lawmakers could face repercussions down the line at the voting booth. GOP operative and former Trump adviser Brian Lanza told the Examiner that if congressional Republicans "inject themselves before the conversation ends," Trump's base "is going to turn its" back on them.
"So long as the campaign is pursuing legal remedies, the voters will expect our politicians to hang in there," a Republican strategist told the Examiner. "Trump's never-back-down approach is about 90 percent of his appeal for Republican voters."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first test will be coming up shortly, when Georgia's Republican senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, will try to stave off their Democratic challengers in separate January runoffs. That's where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) focus lies, The Washington Post's Robert Costa reports, but in order to achieve it, he reportedly needs to stick by Trump for the time being. Read more at The Washington Examiner. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 days
Speed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeover
Speed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip