GOP's midterm dilemma: How closely to align with Trump

But the recent dynamics bring new clarity to the debate that will likely animate the GOP all year: how closely GOP candidates should align themselves with Trump and his election lie.“I was very encouraged by the response from a number of different senators supportive of Sen. Rounds,” said former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been a rare Republican urging the party to move on from Trump and his election obsession. He said candidates, who often privately acknowledge the election was fair, were clearly courting the former president by expressing skepticism about the 2020 election.“Donald Trump’s obviously the most sought-after endorsement among Republican candidates,” he said. But Trump’s repeated attacks on Ducey, who has refused to back election conspiracies, could make it hard for him to succeed in a GOP primary.Ahead of his trip, Trump issued a statement that he would never endorse Ducey.Whichever Republican emerges on top in Arizona and other critical races will have to convince voters that they should participate in an election system Trump has spent years deriding as rigged.Many Republicans still blame Trump for the party’s loss of Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections in 2021, arguing he depressed turnout by insisting the election would be rigged, denying them control of the Senate.