Midterm Elections 2022: Republicans criticize Trump for making last campaign days about 2024 run

Some Republican strategists are saying former President Trump swept in to ‘make the election about him’ by revealing he will have a major announcement next week on the eve of the midterms. 

‘We want nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow. You understand that,’ Trump said at a rally for Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Ohio on Monday night. 

‘I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15,’ he added, saying the announcement would come at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. 

‘When someone says they don’t want to detract, get ready for some detracting,’ griped longtime GOP strategist Douglas Heye to DailyMail.com. ‘Trump is all about Trump and after months of being on the sidelines – good months for Republicans – Trump had to make it all about him. Again.’ 

Another Republican strategist said that the results are already ‘baked into the cake’ and the former president throwing his name into the mix will have little effect. 

‘I think the cake is baked on the 2022 election and the specter of a Trump candidacy probably has little to no effect at the outcome. Had he announced his candidacy in advance of the election it might have been a different story,’ said strategist Ken Spain.

Some Republican strategist say former President Trump swept in to ‘make the election about him’ by revealing he will have a major announcement next week on the eve of the midterms

Donald Trump and Former First Lady of the United States Melania Trump talk to the media after voting at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Strategist Jim Dornan told DailyMail.com Trump announcing on Monday could have been a ‘real problem’ for Republicans.

‘Thank goodness he held off from announcing anything last night. That could have been a real problem in many of these close races,’ he said. ‘Regarding next week, I think an announcement this quickly after the midterms may indicate some concern on his part that he’s losing his grip on the party and frankly, he’d be probably right about that.’ 

‘I don’t think however it changes the landscape significantly as far as who gets into the primary or not,’ Dornan added. He noted that potential contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited out of office in 2027, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2026. 

‘So would [DeSantis] forgo 2024 and look to 2028 when he would have been out of office for two years? Would Youngkin wait for 3? Trump’s numbers aren’t as strong as they were, so I think the fear factor among other would be candidates is dissipating a bit,’ Dornan said. 

Trump insiders said the former president was gunning to announce his run before the midterm elections. Many urged him to wait, in part to avoid turning the election into a referendum on him and partly to avoid blame should Republicans underperform on Tuesday. 

But the former president is eager to piggyback off GOP momentum and after endorsing nearly 300 candidates, and also to signal to other Republicans who have signaled they might want to run to back off. 

Among Trump’s most formidable potential GOP opponents is DeSantis, who is running his own reelection race for governor that he looks poised to win. But if Trump announces just after midterms, DeSantis will have just won reelection for governor and would be hard-pressed to immediately throw his hat into the ring for the presidency. 

In Ohio, where Trump announced his announcement, venture capitalist and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance now is running eight points ahead of Democrat Tim Ryan for the open Senate seat, according to Real Clear Politics. 

During Trump’s speech he also hammered Democrats on crime levels and the economy, both of which are expected to be top issues for voters and ones that Republicans have largely led on in the polls.

‘If you want to stop the destruction of our country and save the American dream, then tomorrow you must vote Republican in a giant red wave that we’ve all been hearing about,’ Trump said. 

Republicans ride into Tuesday comfortably poised to take the majority in the House, and with a decent shot at wresting power in the Senate. 

If that happens it will be in no small way down to Trump’s impact on the midterm elections and an unlikely band of outside candidates who have turned longshot campaigns into toss-up races.

• RealClearPolitics forecasts a decisive Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a likely win in the Senate
• A GOP aide told DailyMail.com that a slim win in the Senate could lead to bigger gains in 2024, when more Democratic seats are up for grabs than Republican
• Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday night that November 8 would be ‘the most interesting midterm they’ve ever had’ 
• The economy is still top of mind for most voters, and an albatross for Democratic candidates as Republicans tie them to Biden’s financial policies
• Trump promised a ‘big announcement’ on November 15, which has prompted some Republican fears that the specter of a Trump 2024 announcement would put off Independents
• President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday night that it would be ‘difficult’ to govern with a Republican majority in both chambers of Congress 

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Trump, according to some insiders, had wanted to announce on election eve at a rally in Dayton, Ohio 

Trump has been increasingly overt about his plans, saying in recent days he would ‘very, very, very probably’ run again and would be formalizing his intentions ‘very, very soon’

But questions arise whether injecting Trump into the races could motivate Democratic turnout against Republicans and whether it would motivate Republicans in favor of the former president or turn them off.   

Before Trump named November 15 as the date to watch, longtime ally Rep. Matt Gaetz urged him on Twitter to announce a run Monday night. 

‘To all the press texting & calling me: Trump should announce tonight His candidates won the primaries Biden’s central message was the ‘ULTRA MAGA’ scare And we are going to win BIGLY!,’ the Florida Republican said. ‘Trump deserves all the credit for this wave election & announcing tonight he will seize it.’

Trump has been increasingly overt about his plans, saying in recent days he would ‘very, very, very probably’ run again and would be formalizing his intentions ‘very, very soon.’ 

‘I will probably have to do it again but stay tuned,’ he said Sunday night in Miami. ‘Stay tuned to tomorrow night in the great state of Ohio.’ 

Ohio Republican political strategist and attorney Mehek Cooke said she never believed Trump would announce his run in Ohio, but thought it was ‘definitely motivating’ to tease at a run before elections. 

‘He’s going to go to Florida. I think that’s the best place to announce. It’s one of the strongest states in our country right now, in terms of rebounding out of COVID and all the policies that we’ve seen out of that state, so I’m not surprised he did announce yesterday,’ she told DailyMail.com.

‘But I think it’s definitely motivating for Republicans to get out and vote,’ Cooke added, ‘J.D. Vance in Ohio, was behind initially until President Trump came in and endorsed him during the primary. So he has been influential and instrumental in helping a lot of voters decide who to vote for in key races.’ 

Dr. Adam Quinn, U.S. political science professor at the University of Birmingham, said that Republican operatives were likely to find the announcement an ‘unwelcome distraction’ at the 11th hour of campaigning.   

‘Most Republicans candidates and operatives will regard news reports about Trump’s plans to announce his presidential candidacy early as an unwelcome distraction from their core campaign themes. The former president is not widely popular with the general electorate, and in most cases Democrats will welcome the opportunity to make Trump an issue in voters’ minds even when he is not on the ballot himself.’

But Trump seemed unconcerned about the prospects of detracting from down-ballot Republicans, telling reporters after casting his own ballot in Palm Beach, Fla. on Tuesday he was ‘looking forward’ to next week’s announcement.  

Asked about his potential 2024 candidacy while in Palm Beach, Trump replied: ‘I think Tuesday (Nov. 15) will be a very exciting day for a lot of people, and I look forward to seeing you at Mar-a-Lago.’

‘I think we’re going to have a great night, it’s going to be great for the country,’ he told reporters of the midterms after casting his ballot.

‘No matter who you vote for, you have to vote. This is going to be a very important election.’