Dems Want to Distract Public from GOP Debate

(TheConservativeTimes.org) – The upcoming Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first Republican presidential primary debate is fast approaching. While former President Donald Trump will not be attending the event, the Democratic National Committee and its operatives will be running television ads, placing billboards, and using its message to counter Republican criticism of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.

The Democrat’s messaging in Wisconsin will be to compare the rest of the GOP field to Trump, which they believe will make the candidates less appealing to voters, painting them as extreme and out of touch with the American people. While Biden campaign officials expect Trump to be the nominee, their strategy seeks to convince voters that the Republican party at large is extreme, which could also help Democrats down-ballot. Biden carried Wisconsin narrowly in 2020 and will need it on his pathway to 270 electoral votes.

Fox News will host the debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and seven candidates have reached the requirements set by the RNC that a candidate must have at least 1% in three legitimate polls, have at least 40,000 donors, and pledge to support the Republican 2024 presidential nominee. Those candidates are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

FiveThirtyEight aggregate polling shows Trump leading the pack with 53.8%, DeSantis following with 15.0%, Ramaswamy with 7.4%, Pence with 5.5%, Haley with 3.7%, Christie with 2.8%, Scott with 2.5%, and Burgum with 0.5%. With an almost 40-point lead over DeSantis, Trump looks set to win early Republican states like Nevada, Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. The most recent polling from these states shows Trump polling in the mid-40s, which could allow another candidate some momentum. However, Trump’s lead detracts from any strategy for a challenger to succeed going into Super Tuesday.

Whomever Republicans nominate will need to counter the Democratic message since the Biden re-election campaign can rely upon incumbency and fewer primary opponents to begin offensive campaigning ahead of 2024.