10
Loading video...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Republican Party went through a tumultuous year in 2023 as they aim to retake control of the White House in 2024, but experts told Newsweek they had a better year than Democrats.
Republicans' narrow majority in Congress following the 2022 midterms caused the party myriad headaches throughout the year, but the GOP may be poised for a stronger 2024, according to several recent polls showing President Joe Biden trailing top presidential frontrunners, including former President Donald Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The GOP came into the year fresh off the 2022 midterms, which saw them win only a narrow majority of seats in the House of Representatives despite hopes they could capitalize off of Biden's unpopularity to win more substantial victories. Their small majority left little room for detractors in key House votes as the party remained divided on a number of issues including abortion, the Russia-Ukraine war and whether to impeach Biden.
Read More
Joe Biden Less Popular Than Last 4 Presidents Who Failed to Win Second Term3 min read
Lauren Boebert Switching Colorado Districts Might Spectacularly Backfire5 min read
Ron DeSantis Looking Like ‘Child’ in Large Chair Sparks Flood of Jokes3 min read
Tobe Berkovitz, associate professor of advertising emeritus at Boston University, told Newsweek Republicans had a "decent enough year."
...
While they had their share of challenges, including infighting and a Congress that failed to pass major legislation, voters may view these struggles as less salient than issues like immigration or the Russia-Ukraine war, Berkovitz said.
"The Republicans are doing okay when compared to how badly the Democrats are doing," Berkovitz said.
Turmoil in the House
The GOP kicked off the year by fighting over who should lead the party in Congress. Most Republicans backed Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, but he struggled to win the trust of the most conservative members of Congress, resulting in a five-day-long speaker battle that lasted 15 ballots.
Ultimately, McCarthy prevailed. But he was tasked with overseeing a Republican conference divided between MAGA hardliners and moderates representing Biden-won districts. He needed to balance the needs of the party's most vulnerable members with maintaining support from the right-wing flank to avoid a challenge to his speakership.
In October, however, Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership. Eight Republicans joined Democrats in voting to oust McCarthy, setting up a chaotic second weeks-long speaker battle that resulted in Representative Mike Johnson being elected speaker. The speakership election came as Congress struggled to pass a series of appropriations bills to fund the government. Johnson passed a short-term plan to kick the issue to early next year, averting a holiday government shutdown.
The GOP-led Congress also struggled to pass legislation this year. According to Axios, only 20 bills were signed into law this year as the government remained divided. While Republicans control the House, Democrats control the White House and Senate. Still, internal fractures within the GOP made it more difficult to pass major legislation.
While the brouhaha generated troubling press for Republicans, Berkovitz was doubtful voters would be focused on Congressional chaos by next November.
"The bottom line is that it has been a relatively do-nothing Congress," he said. "I'm not sure it matters one way or another when you have these other big, big issues going on."
Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science at Columbia University, told Newsweek that Biden's struggles combatting inflation and an influx of migrants crossing the border into the U.S. "overshadowed" House Republicans' challenges.
Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs and
director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, told Newsweek the GOP "did not do itself any favors with all the infighting during 2023" but that policy issues will dominate the 2024 elections.
A Focus on Impeachment
While Republicans in Congress scored few legislative wins, they turned their focus to investigating and impeaching President Biden.
House Republicans earlier in December launched a formal impeachment inquiry against Biden. They believe the inquiry will allow them to better enforce subpoenas to the White House as they continue their investigation into Biden's purported involvement in his son Hunter Biden's business dealings.
Republicans' investigations are yet to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by the president.
These investigations serve as a place for Republicans to improve their messaging in 2024, according to Berkovitz, who said Republicans did not "do a really good job" at honing in their message on the Biden family.
"They need to figure out on how they can put focus on Biden, Hunter Biden, and alleged corruption of the family. They've been relatively ineffective at that. They were not as effective as Democrats were putting the focus on alleged crimes by President Trump," he said.
Republicans See 2024 Opportunity in Polls
Throughout 2023, polls have suggested Republicans have reason to be optimistic about their chances of victory in the 2024 election. As Biden's popularity continues to struggle, several surveys have found Trump and other potential GOP nominees winning a general election match-up.
An Echelon Insights survey conducted from December 12 to 16 among 1,012 likely voters found Trump leading Biden by five percentage points, 41 percent to 36 percent. Haley also had an advantage over Biden, leading with 45 percent to Biden's 41 percent.
Biden, however, held a single-point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, winning support from 46 percent of respondents to DeSantis' 45 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Shapiro said he believes Republicans have a "very good chance" of winning control of the Senate, pointing to a number of Senate seats Democrats are defending in Republican-leanings states such as Montana and Ohio. Republicans may be less favored to retain control of the House, according to Shapiro.
"The House may be more difficult to hold due to their turmoil there, but if a Republican wins the presidency that victory may have "coattails" leading to the Republicans to hold the House and have unified control of the presidency and Congress," he said.
Farnsworth said one challenge Republicans faced in 2023 and will continue to face during next year's election is messaging on abortion. The GOP has faced backlash from many voters over their stance on reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that previously guaranteed abortion rights across the country, in 2022. He pointed to losses in Ohio and Virginia as an example of how the issue has been difficult for Republicans.
"The continuing unpopularity of abortion restrictions was also seen in the Ohio referendum and in President Trump's efforts during his 2024 campaign to minimize his own role in building a Supreme Court majority that restricted abortion," he said.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines