Republicans worry that the NRA and two other groups that have long formed the core of their electoral infrastructure will be effectively on the sidelines.<\/p>\n
By ALEX ISENSTADT | POLITICO<\/p>\n
The National Rifle Association aired an avalanche of TV ads and pushed its 5 million-plus members to the polls for Donald Trump in 2016, propelling him in the Rust Belt states that delivered him the presidency.<\/p>\n
Now, the gun rights group is in total meltdown \u2014 and senior Republicans and Trump 2020 officials are alarmed.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, the NRA has seen everything from a failed coup attempt to the departure of its longtime political architect to embarrassing tales of self-dealing by top leaders. The turmoil is fueling fears that the organization will be profoundly diminished heading into the election, leaving the Republican Party with a gaping hole in its political machinery.<\/p>\n
With the Chamber of Commerce and Koch political network withdrawing from their once-dominant roles in electing conservatives, Republicans worry that three organizations that have long formed the core of their electoral infrastructure will be effectively on the sidelines.<\/p>\n
The predicament has so troubled some Republicans that they are calling on the famously secretive NRA to address its 2020 plans. Within the past week, senators have privately expressed concerns about the group to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Todd Young.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo organization has been more important to conservative voter education and engagement than the NRA. We all hope they\u2019re able to mount the kind of effort in the 2020 cycle they have in the past,\u201d said Gregg Keller, a former American Conservative Union executive director. \u201cBut in case they can\u2019t, given their current situation, I hope they\u2019re being forthright about that within the movement so others can pick up the slack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation,\u201d he added, \u201chas folks nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes the NRA such a potent force for Republicans, party officials said, are its reach into battlegrounds \u2014 such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ohio \u2014 and the sway it holds with its members. The NRA\u2019s appeals play a critical role in turning out sportsmen, many of whom have paid dues to the organization for years and regard it as an important part of their lives.<\/p>\n
Chris LaCivita, a national GOP strategist who\u2019s waged congressional and statewide campaigns in North Carolina, said he remains confident gun advocates will turn out to vote in 2020. But he said the NRA\u2019s problems could hobble its mobilization efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfighting and accusations playing out almost daily in the national media regarding the NRA have not been helpful. Clearly it will have an impact in the NRA’s ability to raise money, which would be used in elections to turn out its membership,\u201d LaCivita said.<\/p>\n
With the organization mired in palace intrigue and confronting a daily barrage of negative publicity, some NRA officials are skeptical a 2020 plan will emerge. Many Republicans are convinced the job of turning out Second Amendment supporters will fall to the cash-flush Republican National Committee, which is constructing a massive get-out-the-vote and data machine devoted to turning out conservatives.<\/p>\n