Axios
The post-Trump Republican Party has been gutted in almost every way imaginable
Jim VandeHei January 15, 2021
Republicans will emerge from the Trump era gutted financially, institutionally and structurally.
The big picture: The losses are stark and substantial.
- They lost their congressional power.
- Their two leaders, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, are hamstrung by corporate blacklisting of their election-denying members.
- The GOP brand is radioactive for a huge chunk of America.
- The corporate bans on giving to the 147 House and Senate Republicans who voted against election certification are growing and virtually certain to hold.
- The RNC is a shell of its former self and run by a Trump loyalist.
- Democrats crushed them in fundraising when they were out of power. Imagine their edge with it.
- Sheldon Adelson, the party’s biggest donor, died Monday.
- The NRA is weaker than it has ever been, after massive leadership scandals.
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, once controlled by rock-ribbed Republicans, also gave to Democrats in 2020.
- Rank-and-file Republicans are now scattered on encrypted channels like Signal and fearful of Big Tech platforms.
What to watch: Conservatives hold power in the courts and state legislatures, two foundational pieces to rebuilding their party. But they likely will face a raging internal war over policies and political leaders as they grapple with a post-Trump world — whenever that might be.