Trump — more than three months out of office — remains the dominant force within GOP politics and is willing to try to sink fellow Republicans heading into 2022.
That’s left Republicans divided into largely three camps: Flatter Trump, try to ignore Trump or, increasingly rarely, fight Trump, none of which unite a fractured party.
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Cheney’s embrace of the third option is not only highlighting her odd-woman-out status on Capitol Hill, but putting renewed focus on those larger divisions.
“There is an overwhelming need to please Trump … and yet that is felt more in the House than in the Senate,” said Doug Heye, a GOP strategist and former House leadership aide, about the differences in strategy. “That’s a big part of it.”