Donald Trump often undermines his own electoral prospects, leaving the GOP to address the resulting challenges, as he seeks to recapture the excitement of his unexpected 2016 victory.
In 2020, Trump lost partly due to his attacks on mail-in ballots, which fostered distrust in the voting system. Consequently, Republicans are now working to rebuild confidence in mail-in voting, aiming to demonstrate its viability to voters.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mail-in voting surged. Trump criticized this method as part of his broader effort to cast doubt on the presidential election results, a theme that continues in his current campaign.
Before the 2020 election, Trump stated, “It shouldn’t be mail-in voting. It should be: You go to a booth and you proudly display yourself. You don’t send it in the mail where people pick up – all sorts of bad things can happen.”
His unfounded claims of mail-in voting fraud likely contributed to his 2020 defeat and the GOP’s underperformance in 2022. Now, as early voting begins for the upcoming election, the GOP is still working to repair the damage caused by Trump’s falsehoods.
Unsurprisingly, 74% of Republicans believe mail-in voting fraud has been an issue in past elections, compared to just 34% of Democrats.
Mail-in voting offers convenience for many voters, and GOP groups recognize that this convenience can boost turnout.
This effort is costly, as voters were previously told by their political leader that mail-in votes would not count. GOP PACs are spending millions in battleground states to restore the reputation of mail-in voting among their supporters.
Other organizations, like Turning Point Action, are making significant investments in voter mobilization efforts in key states.
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Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley stated, “As President Trump has consistently said, voting by mail, voting early, and voting on Election Day are all good options,” seemingly contradicting Trump’s past statements on the issue.
As recently as August, Trump reiterated his stance: “The elections are so screwed up. We have to get back in, and we have to change it all. We want to get rid of mail-in voting.”
The resources devoted to promoting mail-in voting could have been allocated elsewhere if Trump hadn’t undermined it in 2020 and continued to question the election process.
The rise of mail-in voting and why Republicans should embrace it.
Although mail-in voting decreased in 2022 compared to the pandemic-affected 2020 election, 36% of voters still used this method. Despite the decline, a significant gap remained between Democrats and Republicans voting early.
Until 2020, mail-in voting did not consistently favor either party. Four years ago, due to Trump’s rhetoric on election security, GOP voters used mail-in voting at nearly half the rate of their Democratic counterparts.
Mail-in voting is popular not because of partisan differences but because of its convenience. It allows Americans to vote without traveling to a polling place and prevents personal issues from hindering voting on Election Day.
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One might expect the Republican Party, with its rural voter base often far from polling places, to support mail-in voting. These voters are more likely to participate if they have better access, and they voted by mail at higher rates than typical voters in 2020. Half of rural polling places serve areas larger than 62 square miles, requiring long drives to vote in person if mail-in voting isn’t used.
Trump’s election falsehoods harm a segment of his voter base.
The GOP continues to pay for Trump’s shortcomings.
In the 2022 midterms, where Republicans underperformed, super PACs backed by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell spent hundreds of millions to support problematic candidates like Herschel Walker, whom Trump endorsed. This loss ultimately cost the GOP the Senate. Meanwhile, Trump contributed little from his political funds to rectify his own errors.
This reflects a recurring theme: Trump prioritizes his status as the party’s figurehead over GOP success.
He repeatedly undermines his own chances of winning, forcing the GOP to address these issues, as he chases the thrill of his 2016 victory.
Even recently, Trump has refused to acknowledge mail-in voting as a legitimate method, while the Republican Party encourages it nationwide for his benefit. He concedes only that it’s better than not voting at all, but his skeptical tone doesn’t inspire confidence among his supporters.
Trump often sabotages himself, and the Republican Party bears the cost. Eventually, we might realize that many of these problems could be avoided by choosing a different candidate. Until then, we’ll continue to face losses and waste resources.