Staff Reports
In a recent article, it was reported that President Joe Biden may be facing some pushback from voters who marked “uncommitted” on their Democratic primary ballots in Michigan. But guess what? That’s not the only drama shaking up the political scene! The good ol’ GOP is also getting a taste of intraparty resistance, and it’s all about the man, the legend, the former president, Donald Trump.
An AP VoteCast poll that came out recently revealed that at least 20% of GOP voters in the first three primary states are straight-up saying “No thanks!” to supporting Trump. Can you believe it? This resistance seems to be lurking in the ranks of more moderate voters, and even some big-name Republicans like Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan have said they won’t be throwing their weight behind Trump.
An AP VoteCast poll released Sunday found that at least 20% of GOP voters in the first three primary states say they will refuse to vote for former President Donald Trump.#StillWithDeSantis
Amid Biden ‘uncommitted’ campaign, Trump faces his own intraparty revolt…
— Craig Gleerup (@cgleerup) March 4, 2024
But wait, it gets juicier! Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the last non-Trump GOP presidential candidate still in the game, is also hinting that she might not be sticking to that ol’ Republican National Committee pledge to support the party’s nominee. She’s out here saying she’ll make her own decisions, thank you very much. And if her voters follow her lead, well, Trump might find himself in a bit of a pickle.
In the Michigan primaries, 81% of Democrats showed their love for Biden, while 13% were feeling feisty and voted “uncommitted” as a little protest against Biden’s support for Israel. On the Republican side, Trump snagged 68% of the vote, with Haley trailing at 28%. Welp, it looks like both Trump and Biden have got a few partisan voters giving them side-eye, but in Michigan, Trump didn’t quite seal the deal with 100% of Republican support like Biden did with the Dems.
Democrats are already chiming in on the situation, with one Democratic strategist, Brad Bannon, saying that there are definitely some partisan voters out there who aren’t quite sold on Trump and Biden. He’s also predicting that most of these conflicted partisans will come back into the fold come Election Day. But the bigger problem, he says, will be those independent voters who didn’t even show up to the primaries. Ah, the drama of it all!
Now, the Trump campaign is trying to downplay the AP poll results, with spokesperson Steven Cheung declaring that Trump has been racking up wins left and right in every single primary, and the race is basically over. Yup, they’re just brushing off the whole “Never Trump” vibe and focusing on their beef with Joe Biden and the general election. And on the other side of the ring, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is proudly touting Biden’s 80%+ support among Democratic Party voters and pointing out all the outreach to Muslim and Arab American voters.
But wait, folks, we’ve got even more fireworks in store! Republican voters in a handful of Super Tuesday states are getting the chance to mark “no preference” and let everyone know they’re not feeling the Trump vibes. Meanwhile, Democratic voters in some Super Tuesday states can also make their discontent known by marking “noncommitted” or “no preference.” It’s like a political party and everyone’s invited!
One Republican strategist, Christian Ferry, serving up some thoughts, believes Trump is sitting pretty even with all the Haley hype, all thanks to one thing – his voters are just way more enthusiastic than Biden’s. Ferry thinks it’s actually Biden who needs to hustle harder to win over those wishy-washy independent and undecided voters, and he doesn’t see Trump breaking a sweat. The threat of third-party challenges? Bigger for Biden, according to Ferry, because, you know, reasons.
Recent polls seem to be singing a similar tune, showing Trump ahead in swing states and Biden losing his grip on key Democratic groups like black and Hispanic voters. Oh, the drama, the suspense, the political rollercoaster! It’s like a reality TV show, but way more intense. Keep your eyes peeled, folks, because the political arena is heating up like never before!
