Never before has a party's identity been so deeply entwined with the fate, fortunes and flaws of one man. Four consecutive poor election cycles would unleash a wave of sustained scrutiny that the GOP - as it currently exists - may not survive.
If Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately is inaugurated in January, a rudderless Republican Party will be forced - for the first time - to move on from Trump, who has said he will not seek the 2028 nomination.
But any ideological successor would face challenges: Even the Trumpiest candidates have historically underperformed the former president, whose unique appeal to disaffected voters has proven hard to replicate.
Anti-Trump Republicans - a cohort that swelled in the aftermath of Jan. 6 - are salivating at the prospect of reclaiming their party.
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