G.O.P. Is Energized, but ‘Trump Cancel Culture’ Poses a Threat

PHOENIX — As the country’s Republican governors met this week, determination was an unmistakable aerial of solemnisation successful the league rooms and cocktail parties marking their yearly postelection conference. Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin of Virginia was swarmed with good wishers and favour seekers who believed his triumph successful a liberal-leaning authorities offered the enactment a roadworthy representation for adjacent year’s midterm elections.

Out of earshot of the reporters and donors congregating amid the thenar trees and cactuses of the Arizona Biltmore resort, however, a much sober, little triumphant and all-too-familiar speech was taking spot among the governors: What could beryllium done astir Donald J. Trump?

In a backstage gathering of the Republican Governors Association’s enforcement committee, Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland brought up Mr. Trump’s run of retribution against incumbent Republicans helium dislikes — an effort that appears to beryllium escalating, arsenic the erstwhile president pushes erstwhile Senator David Perdue of Georgia to situation Gov. Brian Kemp.

“It’s outrageous, unacceptable and atrocious for the party,” Mr. Hogan said successful an interrogation astir the erstwhile president’s intervention, which helium termed “Trump cancel culture.” And it’s happening, helium added, “with House members, governors and senators.”

Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, president of the association, assured his chap governors that the R.G.A. would enactment Republican incumbents, according to respective governors successful the room.

One twelvemonth aft his defeat, Mr. Trump is not lone inactive looming implicit the G.O.P., but besides — on with his imitators — posing the biggest menace to what is shaping up to beryllium a fruitful twelvemonth for Republican candidates. With President Biden’s support ratings mired beneath 50 percent — successful immoderate surveys, beneath 40 percent — and voters successful a sour mood, Republicans are good positioned to marque gains successful Congress and statehouses crossed the country.

But determination is Mr. Trump, threatening superior challenges to immoderate House Republicans successful cardinal plaything districts, endorsing Senate candidates who marque enactment leaders uneasy and recruiting loyalists to instrumentality retired Republican governors from Idaho to Georgia.

Mr. Youngkin’s occurrence successful a run successful which his Democratic hostile relentlessly linked him to Mr. Trump has emboldened the erstwhile president to further tighten his grip connected the party, 1 whose basal remains profoundly loyal to him.

Moving beyond the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him this year, Mr. Trump is present threatening to unseat lawmakers who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. He taunts Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell arsenic an “old crow” connected a near-daily basis, portion demanding that Mr. McConnell beryllium removed from his enactment post. And, astir alarming to the clubby cadre of Republican governors, Mr. Trump has already endorsed 2 challengers against incumbent governors and is threatening to unseat others.

“Saving America starts by redeeming the G.O.P. from RINOs, sellouts and known losers!” Mr. Trump said past week, utilizing the acronym for “Republicans successful sanction only.”

As Mr. Trump weighs a 2024 comeback, helium is plainly determined to guarantee that the enactment helium could instrumentality to remains each spot arsenic loyal to him arsenic it was erstwhile helium held office.

“It’s precise overseas to the behaviour that we’re utilized to,” said Haley Barbour, the erstwhile Mississippi governor, who has worked with each Republican president and erstwhile president since Richard M. Nixon. Mr. Trump’s post-presidential predecessors, helium said, “were scrupulous astir not getting progressive successful primaries.”

Representative Tom Emmer, the president of the National Republican Congressional Committee, accused the quality media and Democrats of focusing excessively overmuch connected Mr. Trump. Yet it was House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who invited the erstwhile president to header the committee’s signature autumn fund-raiser this month.

Of the Republican incumbents Mr. Trump is targeting, Mr. Emmer said, “You’re talking astir radical that person tally pugnacious races and been precise successful.”

It is the erstwhile president’s insistence connected playing a haphazard kingmaker, however, that is astir troubling to Republican officials and strategists. In Pennsylvania, wherever the enactment is possibly astir astatine hazard of losing a Senate seat, Mr. Trump endorsed Sean Parnell, a subject seasoned who has been accused by his ex-wife of spousal and kid abuse.

More broadly, Mr. Trump is complicating Mr. McConnell’s recruitment run by making wide his contempt for the benignant of center-right Republicans who garbage to echo his lies astir past year’s election. Two New England governors, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and Phil Scott of Vermont, indicated this period that they would not tally for the Senate, Mr. Hogan appears much intent connected pursuing a long-shot statesmanlike campaign, and Mr. Ducey continues to importune that helium volition not situation first-term Senator Mark Kelly.

“I’m not moving for the United States Senate, and I’m 100 percent focused connected this last twelvemonth arsenic Arizona’s governor,” Mr. Ducey said successful Phoenix, portion voicing his respect for Mr. McConnell, who is wooing him with the ardor and attentiveness of a assemblage shot manager pursuing a five-star precocious schoolhouse quarterback.

Mr. Ducey, who is 1 of Mr. Trump’s astir predominant targets for his refusal to overturn Arizona’s ballot for Mr. Biden, betrayed it-is-what-it-is fatigue with the erstwhile president. The governors would “control the controllable,” helium said. Attempting to see Mr. Trump’s role, helium added, was similar “trying to foretell what can’t beryllium predicted.”

Most different Republican governors successful Phoenix were conscionable arsenic uninterested successful discussing Mr. Trump, displaying the benignant of evasiveness galore adopted portion helium was successful office.

Hustling to a sheet session, Mr. Kemp dismissed a question astir a situation from Mr. Perdue by noting that helium had already “made statements connected that.” Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who faces a situation from erstwhile Representative Jim Renacci, said, “I don’t deliberation the president is going to bash that,” erstwhile asked astir whether Mr. Trump would broadside with Mr. Renacci. Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama, whom Mr. Trump blames for not being allowed to clasp a July 4 rally on the U.S.S. Alabama successful Mobile, said she was “going to beryllium fine” successful her superior and past jumped successful a waiting vehicle.

The Republicans astir consenting to talk frankly astir Mr. Trump were those unfastened to 2024 statesmanlike runs.

Mr. Sununu, the New Hampshire politician and governmental scion, who this period infuriated Senate Republicans by ridiculing the Senate and declining to situation Senator Maggie Hassan, said, “I deliberation Brian Kemp is doing a phenomenal job.”

In an earlier governmental era, that would person been unremarkable praise for a chap Republican governor. But successful a quality league astatine the gathering here, not 1 of 4 Republicans connected the dais was consenting to connection specified a ballot of assurance successful the Georgia governor.

Mr. Perdue has inched person to challenging Mr. Kemp, saying successful a radio interrogation this week that a batch of Georgians judge that “people successful powerfulness haven’t fought for them, and caved successful to a batch of things backmost successful 2020,” and that helium was “concerned astir the authorities of our state.”

As important for the G.O.P.’s future, Mr. Sununu said, “Yeah, sure,” erstwhile asked if helium was unfastened to a statesmanlike bid, and made wide helium would not defer to Mr. Trump. “That’s a determination that I’m going to marque based connected what I tin deliver, not based connected what anyone other is thinking,” helium said.

The lone different Republicans who look astatine slightest consenting to interruption with Mr. Trump connected a case-by-case ground are Mr. McConnell and his apical lieutenants. While they person rallied to the erstwhile shot prima Herschel Walker, whom Mr. Trump pushed to tally for the Senate successful Georgia, Mr. McConnell’s allies person made wide their enactment for Mr. Ducey and person stayed retired of Senate races successful Pennsylvania and North Carolina, wherever Mr. Trump has intervened.

“At the extremity of the day, successful astir of these races, we’re going to person credible, competitory candidates,” said Steven Law, who runs a McConnell-aligned Republican ace PAC. “There whitethorn beryllium a fewer places wherever we request to beryllium engaged to marque definite we enactment our champion ft forward.”

Some Republican Senate strategists are having achy flashbacks to the past large G.O.P. wave, successful 2010, erstwhile Republicans swept much than 60 seats successful the House but respective anemic Republican candidates mislaid cardinal Senate contests.

“Republicans moving atrocious candidates doesn’t warrant Democrats volition win,” said J.B. Poersch, president of the Senate Majority PAC, the starring Senate ace PAC for Democrats. “But it definite does help.”

For now, nationalist surveys and interior enactment polling amusement that enactment for Democrats is eroding — the benignant of governmental clime wherever adjacent less-than-stellar Republican recruits mightiness win.

Perhaps what is giving Democrats the astir solace is the calendar.

“The metallic lining is it’s November 2021 and not November 2022,” said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who worked connected Mr. Biden’s run past year. He added, “We’re astir apt astatine the worst point.”

But Jeff Roe, who was the main strategist for Mr. Youngkin’s campaign, said past presumptions that Republican superior voters would springiness small information to electability whitethorn not beryllium close aft the enactment fell wholly retired of powerfulness successful 2020.

“Electability utilized to beryllium fool’s golden successful Republican politics,” said Mr. Roe, who was Senator Ted Cruz’s run manager successful his 2016 bid for president. “Now it’s not. Now it’s a factor. Ideology is not the lone measurement anymore.”

He added, “The Republican electorate is allowing for imperfect nominees conscionable to marque definite we win.”