Who will win the 2024 election: Billionaires or everyone else?

Republicans seem to have just one qualification for Congressional candidates: immense personal wealth.

The ideal Republican candidate is one who can cut themself a big, fat check to self-fund a campaign, overcoming not just the fundraising efforts of Democratic opponents, but the whole need to deal with … the little people.

With Lara Trump converting the Republican National Committee into a means of funneling more money to her father-in-law, closing outreach centers, and laying off dozens of staffers, it’s not as if GOP candidates can count on anyone else to see them through. The Republican Party belongs to Donald Trump, and Republican candidates must ask only what they can do for Trump, not what Trump can do for them.

Democrats feel that self-funded candidates are disadvantaged by the fact that their campaigns don’t have to reach out for support, so they don’t form an early connection with ordinary voters by going door to door, visiting small businesses, speaking to local organizations, and seeking out grass-roots supporters and partners. 

But the Republican base—the real Republican base—isn’t found at the Elks Club or the local bowling alley. They’re in a mansion in Palm Beach, hanging out with Elon Musk and having breakfast with Trump as they plot how to defeat democracy. Wealthy candidates can connect with this base just fine.