While he occupied the White House, Donald Trump was a relentless presence in American life, a perpetual outrage machine generating endless division, media coverage and social media fuel for extremism. The last 18 months have offered the American public some reprieve from the daily onslaught. Trump isn’t in the White House, and his name won’t appear on any ballot this November. But make no mistake: The extremist MAGA movement he spawned is very much on the ballot.
In state after state, MAGA extremists have taken over the Republican Party, winning primaries and pushing a radical and unpopular agenda. In fact, it is only because MAGA extremists are so unpopular that the outcome of next week’s election is still in doubt.
Consider that Republicans have to flip only a net of one seat to take control in the Senate, and most races are in states that Biden narrowly won. Given the historical advantage of the party out of power and the current political climate, Republicans should be netting at least four seats in the Senate. Anything short of that would be a dramatic underperformance on their part.
