Republicans are growing all the more anxious as they weigh up the possibility that candidates who failed to win their respective races in the 2022 midterms could become key players in 2024 and possibly cost the GOP high-profile races.
One example of the kind of candidate Republicans are stressed over is Kari Lake (R), the GOP’s Arizona pick for Governor, who lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is currently the state’s Governor.
Lake is now eyeing a potential bid to take over Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate seat.
Another example is Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R), who lost his attempts to secure the Governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania to Democrat John Shapiro.
Now, Mastriano is considering taking on incumbent Senator Bob Casey (D-PA.).
These aren’t the only Republicans who lost in the midterms and are looking to make a comeback in 2024.
Joe Kent, another Republican who lost in 2022, hopes to make his comeback by beating Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), his rival.
Then there’s J.R. Majewski, a Republican vying for a seat in the House of Representatives. In 2022, Majewski faced Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) but ultimately lost after it was revealed he had misrepresented his military experience.
Bo Hines has also been proactive in his attempts to obtain a seat in the House of Representatives.
Hines lost in November, but that seems like a long time ago, as the North Carolina Republican has already filed paperwork to run again in 2024.
This list of Trump loyalists who’ve lost races before have strategists worried, with one GOP strategist criticizing the candidates as being unable to “go away.
The strategist added that voices like Lake’s are loud and would likely hold “the rest of the party back.”
