'His conviction is hurting him': GOP insiders' anxiety about Trump spikes
Former President Donald Trump's months long lead in the polls is being erased and Politico reports that Republican insiders are beginning to get anxious about the former president's chances in November.
In particular, the publication notes that recent polling has shown independents swinging back toward President Joe Biden after Trump was recently found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up an affair with an adult film star.
"This election is going to be decided on the margins, and short-term, his conviction is hurting him in the polling," said Tom McCabe, the chairman of the Mahoning County, Ohio Republican Party.
Politico has also obtained a memo from James Bopp Jr., an Indiana-based lawyer who advises National Right to Life, that flags concerns about the continued strength of Trump's GOP rival Nikki Haley even after she dropped out of the race.
“Trump got 78% of the Republican primary vote and Haley got 22%,” the memo stated. “Now there is very good reason to think that 10 to 12% of that vote were Democrats, leaving 10% of Republicans not convinced to support Trump... this makes the general election very dicey."
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Arizona Republican strategist Barrett Marson, however, suggested that Trump's guilty verdict wasn't the only factor that could potentially weigh down Republicans' chances in November.
“Republicans have a ton of down-ballot problems,” he explained. “Not the least of which is on abortion.”