Both sides of the MAGA civil war are creeping around, Friend. They’re holding closed-door meetings. They’re reworking their messaging after the latest polls. They’re pulling in advisors from near and far to add ammunition to the battles coming this fall. Because they know this is a winner-take-all scenario.

This isn’t the Democrats vs. Republicans.

It’s McConnell vs. Trump.

We’ve seen this fight play out before and not only does McConnell seem to have the upper hand because quite simply he is *ahem* still in office but he has the decades-long relationships with the party apparatus and funders that trust him to push their collective agenda forward. Even though we’ve all been astonished by the GOP support Trump wrangled during his time in the White House, that support is dwindling and some senior Republicans are starting to question if he’s really the right front man for the party.

The biggest issue?

Trump can’t let go of the fact he lost 2020. His obsession with losing is determining who he’s backing in the midterms this year. Trump is using his wing of the party to not only support people who will repeat his Bie Lie but people who would have done what he wanted others to do – to overturn the 2020 elections results. 

10 of his endorsements were THERE on January 6. 

Predictably, the stink of loss is rubbing off on some of his blessed selections and they’re already running behind on fundraising for their campaigns. But not all of the endorsements are falling behind. Some of his selections are doing just fine. And this is why the GOP infighting is something we need to watch – his shadow will never stop looming over his party – which means Trump is pulling the strings, not McConnell. So they’ll be ready to follow his orders even more. To sow chaos. To overturn elections. To storm capitals. 

Recent headlines in Ohio, Missouri, and Georgia show that the crazies are entering the race from every possible angle looking to get on the MAGA train with or without a formal Trump endorsement. From a debunked daytime television quack (Dr. Oz) to a guy that tried to blackmail his mistress (Eric Greitens) to a fella who’s running so far right, he’s “honored to have Marjorie’s endorsement” (J.D. Vance).

We have warned that Trump will not leave quietly. That he will result in any means necessary to maintain his grip. Including ripping apart everything in his path.

Already, Trumpists are leading McConnell’s picks and the primaries are getting UGLY.

When it’s ugly, we win. (That means we have the best chance to beat them this fall.)

-The Lincoln Project