Virgnia Attorney General Jason Miyares — fresh off of a victorious legal brief which resulted in a 9-0 U.S. Supreme Court decision to keep Trump on the ballot in Colorado — has made his endorsement official after the March 5th Virginia Republican primary:
Joe Biden‘s presidency has been a disaster for economic inflation, immigration and the border, and made our country less safe here and abroad. Four more years of Joe Biden would make our country less prosperous, add additional financial strain on working families, and weaken our standing in the world.
We have had a robust primary and spirited debate these past few months and I have said that the conservative grassroots movement will determine our nominee for President.
I’m committed to supporting the Republican nominee for president and I am calling on all Republicans to unite as a party to win this November. That’s why I am endorsing President Donald Trump because we cannot afford another Joe Biden term as president. Now let’s get to work and win in November.
With the announcement, Miyares becomes the first statewide Virginia Republican to endorse Trump.
Meanwhile, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has stated that his focus will remain on the legislative session before there will be any forthcoming endorsement. Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears had urged Republicans to “move on” from Trump just before his campaign kickoff in November 2022:
“A true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage. And the voters have given us that very clear message,” she said, after being asked specifically about Trump, who has been teasing a “big announcement” Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Former Ambassador Nikki Haley managed to win near a third of the support from Virginia Republicans, carrying Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria near the only win she has had so far — Washington, D.C.
In an interview with FOX News, former Bush strategist Karl Rove emphasized how Trump’s next task will be to unify the Republican Party:
There’s still some work to be done to unify the Republican Party and that’s going to depend a lot on his tone tonight and whether or not he stops doing things like calling her [Haley] “Bird Brain” and threatening that if you give money to her campaign you’re going to be permanently banned, and we’ll see how he does tonight. He did well in Iowa with his victory statement, unifying, humble, gracious. Not so good in New Hampshire, and tonight is going to be the big night and he’s gonna set an important tone for either a unified Republican Party or a divided Republican Party.
On Twitter, most observers seem to be settled that the Democratic line of “MAGA Extremism vs. Our Democracy” is going to fall flat among working class Americans, with most people knowing precisely what the Trump presidency was like between 2017 and 2021:
At present, the RCP General Election Polls have Trump +2.2 while the generic ballot is a strong R+3.0 — Biden’s approval ratings stand at 39.1%. Not his worst showing, but still 18 points underwater from a strong 57.3% unfavorable rating. By comparison? Trump was at 45% approval ratings four years ago. Obama at 48.3% in 2012. Bush 43 at 49.8% in 2008. Biden and the Democrats are in deed and abiding trouble, and with 67% of Americans believing we are on the wrong track any efforts to change that narrative looks to be a very steep and uphill climb.
One added hitch? Democrats are struggling with an enthusiasm gap which they really haven’t had to fight for since Kerry 2004. It isn’t just Arab-American voters upset with Biden’s lack of insistence to restrain Israel in the Gaza Strip. Jewish American voters remain horrified at the Biden administration’s entertainment of any cease fire agreement after October 7th — not to mention the rise and return of anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party today.
More alarming for Democrats is mass exodus of black voters into the arms of authentic black and conservative voices such as Winsome Earle-Sears — a voting block which will have to be won rather than expected to appear. More complicated than this is the challenge of progressive voters toward liberal (and particularly neo-liberal) leadership. Republicans may have their problems, but the “civil war” folks should be paying attention to is the one brewing at the DNC.
It gets even better among Hispanic voters, a demographic long courted by the Democratic Party in an effort to brand all conservatives as “racist” who are only now discovering that Hispanic families have pretty strong opinions regarding LGBTQ+ issues — particularly DEI and transgenderism. Attacks on Catholic non-profits, parishes, and pro-life centers providing assistance to Hispanic communities strike right at the heart of Hispanic values and culture — and the Democrats at present simply do not get the problem.
The tactic of using “magic words” to end debate is by and large over. Calling those who oppose the leftist narrative haters, bigots, and racists simply doesn’t work anymore. Harry Potter works for grade school; it doesn’t work in politics. With gasoline prices doubled and food prices just as high — 300% for eggs! — the American taxpayer is fed up, tired, and feeling tremendous pressure at the kitchen table.
Bidenomics is on trial — and the evidence is clear.
Of course, this is March. We have eight long months until Election Day in November 2024 — an eternity in politics. All things being equal, if the election were held today? Trump is your next president and there do not appear to be very many options on the left remaining to change the narrative.
Shaun Kenney is the editor of The Republican Standard, former chairman of the Board of Supervisors for Fluvanna County, and a former executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia.