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The Republican Party is shaken: If Trump loses, blame his running mate Vance

2024-07-27

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[Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui] "He is the worst choice!" Since becoming Trump's running mate for more than a week, Vance has faced constant doubts, especially after Biden withdrew from the election, the concerns and frustrations of Republicans have spread.

US media noted that Vance was selected when Trump faced Biden, but the situation changed when facing the new opponent Harris. In the eyes of some Republicans, Vance is not as diverse as Harris, and his political views are almost the same as Trump's, making it difficult for him to win new supporters for the Trump camp. Vance's lack of comprehensive review, relevant political experience and his early "anti-Trump" remarks also made Republicans worried.

Trump was formally nominated as the presidential candidate by the Republican National Convention on July 15, and chose 39-year-old Ohio Senator Cyrus Vance as his running mate.

Politico reported on the 26th that Democrats have begun attacking Vance since Harris took to the campaign stage, and polls show that these attacks seem to have worked.

CNN analyst Harry Enten said this week that Vance's average net approval rating in all polls is negative 5%, lower than any vice presidential candidate in history. Two other polls also showed Vance's favorability rating dropped by 3 percentage points.

Experts believe that when Vance was chosen to be Trump's running mate, Biden had not yet withdrawn from the election. Trump chose him to consolidate his existing group of supporters and stimulate the vitality of his own voter group, rather than to win new supporters.

"Vance was not a political choice," said Joshua Novotney, a Republican political strategist in Pennsylvania. "He was not chosen to draw support from certain groups, but simply because Trump trusts him and is willing to work with him."

The Hill reported on the 26th that many Republican lawmakers expressed doubts about Vance's candidacy in interviews.

"He's the worst option of all, it's so bad I don't even think it's possible," said one House Republican. "If you ask around this building, nine times out of ten we have people who would say he's the wrong choice." Another Republican congressman said Vance is "the only one who can do serious damage."

One Republican said bluntly that if Trump loses the November election, Vance will be the culprit. "People generally believe that if Trump loses, it's because he was elected, because it won't help anything."

The anxiety caused by Vance became more apparent after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed Harris, while Democrats on the other side seemed to be re-energized and had more campaign funds to overturn the political landscape.

As for Harris, her identity as a person of color and an Asian woman stands in stark contrast to Vance, which is also the source of Republican anxiety.

Republicans want to see more diversity in their nominees, but because Vance largely aligns with Trump's views,Some Republicans worry that he won't be enough to attract voters who haven't yet supported Trump, arguing that Vance has only stoked the enthusiasm of Trump's existing supporters but hasn't brought in new supporters from other groups.

"It's not that Vance has a bad reputation, he just hasn't won new voters for Trump. That's the problem." A House Republican said anyone else would be able to bring new groups of supporters to Trump.

"Vance brought in Trump voters, and you know who else did that? Trump himself. That's why a lot of us are scratching our heads," he said.

Some House Republicans have also questioned Vance's foreign policy positions, particularly his isolationist stance on aiding allies overseas.

Vance's absence from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress upset some Republicans, with one calling it "a problem" and another congressman angry about the reason for his absence.

“It’s reckless,” the congressman said of Vance attributing his absence to campaign travel. “He just sort of scheduled it.”

As a representative of the new generation of conservatives, the 39-year-old Vance is a rising star in the party with only two years of political experience. Before entering politics, Vance was actually a fierce critic of Trump. It was not until he participated in the Ohio Senate election in 2022 that Vance "admitted his mistakes" and successfully took office with Trump's strong support, becoming Trump's loyal ally in one fell swoop.

The experience also posed a problem for Vance.For example, some Republicans questioned whether his resume was rich enough.

"I don't know if he has the experience for the job," one congressman said. "I don't want to say he's inexperienced or he's not smart or I don't like the books he wrote or his upbringing ... but I still prefer the other candidates because they have more experience and have been through more trials."

Vance's early criticism of Trump also resented some Republicans.

"He's very dishonest ... He called Trump Hitler and it seems like it was just yesterday," one Republican said. "Now he's the most pro-Trump person in the world. But I just don't trust him."

"It's hard for me to understand how a Republican who called Trump Hitler became his vice president, especially after an assassination attempt. I think any thinking person understands that heated rhetoric can lead crazy people to violence."

“So I was flabbergasted,” the Republican added.

Despite numerous doubts, Trump and his campaign team still expressed their firm support for Vance.

"President Trump is thrilled with the selection he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House," a Trump campaign spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.

Asked on the 24th if he would choose another vice presidential candidate if Harris became the Democratic nominee, Trump told reporters: "No, I would make the same choice."

"He's done a very good job. He's really captured the hearts and minds of the people," Trump said.

This article is an exclusive article of Observer.com and may not be reproduced without authorization.