Trump faces more than 90 charges in legal cases in Florida, New York, Georgia and Washington, D.C. However, these legal battles appear to be moving in a favorable direction for him, as his legal team is effectively delaying each case. With no immediate legal repercussions, Trump remains a prominent contender for the upcoming general election, where a rematch against President Joe Biden is anticipated.
Growing support among voters
The trend of increasing support for Trump is causing concern for Biden and the Democratic Party. Recent polls from key swing states, states pivotal for electoral victory, indicate a surge in Trump’s popularity. This shift is notable among former Biden supporters who are turning to Trump not necessarily because of his promises for a better future, but due to their dissatisfaction with Biden’s performance in office over the past three years.
Trump’s Republican Party takeover
It’s no secret that Trump has maintained huge influence in the Republican Party over the years. His influence has sparked resistance among some Republicans who oppose his leadership style. Despite this, Trump has continued to assert his authority, sidelining critics within the party. Among those is Robin Vos of the Wisconsin State Assembly, who is now under pressure as he faces recall efforts from a group that claims it has gotten enough signatures.
A group wants to recall Vos
A group that’s aiming to recall Robin Vos, the speaker of Wisconsin’s state Assembly and a top target of former President Donald Trump, has announced it collected the needed signatures to proceed. The organization, Recall Vos, reported accumulating over the nearly 7,000 signatures needed from voters within Vos’ electoral district.
“I carry with me the voice of more than 10,000 Racine County residents,” the group’s recall petitioner, Matt Snorek, said at a news conference outside the Wisconsin Election Commission shortly before it delivered the signatures. “Together we are challenging the status quo, driven by the numerous ways in which Speaker Robin Vos has failed us.” Riley Vetterkind, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, confirmed that the group had submitted signatures
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First attempt unsuccessful
During a meeting last Tuesday, the bipartisan commission deliberated on the recall petition. Initial assessments by the staff of the Wisconsin Elections Commission suggested that the recall campaign might not have secured the necessary number of signatures to mandate an election.
The situation is complicated by uncertainties regarding which legislative boundaries are applicable to the recall effort. This uncertainty could alter the required number of signatures or affect their validity. The recall initiative, which began in January, required 6,850 valid signatures from Vos’ former Assembly district to trigger an election. However, it reportedly fell short by more than 900 signatures, based on preliminary evaluations. Despite this, commission staff identified a total of 9,053 potentially valid signatures, a figure subject to change pending further review, as detailed in a commission memo.
Second review of the signatures
The bipartisan commission unanimously decided to instruct its staff to carry out a further examination of the collected signatures, considering various district scenarios, and to formulate recommendations accordingly. Additionally, the commission has tasked the Wisconsin Department of Justice with seeking guidance from the state Supreme Court regarding the district boundaries that should be applied in recall efforts or special elections scheduled before November.
Opposing Trump
Snorek characterized the petition as being driven in part by comments he said Vos made about Trump’s candidacy this year.
“I don’t think Robin Vos should be going and working against a conservative candidate, when they’re the leading candidate, because in my opinion that runs us the risk of getting Joe Biden elected here in 2024,” Snorek said.
The 2020 election
Snorek criticized Vos for not pursuing impeachment proceedings against Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election officer, who has faced scrutiny from state Republicans for her management of the 2020 election. Wolfe has been vocal in refuting election fraud claims propagated by Trump and his supporters in Wisconsin.
Longtime Trump target
Vos holds the record as the longest-tenured Speaker in Wisconsin’s history and has become a focal point for Trump and his followers since Trump’s defeat in the state during the 2020 election by approximately 20,000 votes. Vos resisted Trump’s demands to overturn the 2020 election outcomes, including a specific request in July 2022 urging him to retroactively enforce a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that limited absentee ballot drop boxes for future elections.
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2022 reelection bid successful despite Trump’s opposition
Despite Trump’s disapproval, Vos initiated an investigation into the 2020 election results due to Trump’s insistence, which ultimately did not uncover any significant fraud. Trump opposed Vos’ re-election in 2022, endorsing his challenger, Adam Steen. Nevertheless, Vos won the primary by a narrow margin of 3 percentage points, marking the closest race in his political journey. He was subsequently re-elected as Speaker in 2022.
