It’s been almost eight months since Donald Trump helped Republicans lose every branch of government, yet congressional Republicans continue to kiss his ring. Donald Trump is paying back Senate and House Republicans for their fealty by crippling their party, reminding voters of the chaos they oversaw, and further alienating the electorate.

Washington Examiner: Trump’s Senate endorsement puts North Carolina GOP in pickle

• After former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Ted Budd for Senate, the North Carolina Republican Party sat on the results of a straw poll that former Rep. Mark Walker won by a country mile.
• State party officials shared the outcome privately with the candidates. But for two days, they refused to publicize to media outlets or the public. When the North Carolina Republican Party finally acknowledged the straw poll, the tally was buried at the bottom of a newsletter detailing the highlights of the weekend-long convention and emailed out in the evening after regular business hours. 

Politico: House GOP prays Trump can kick his habit of 2020 grievances

• Donald Trump just can’t seem to quit 2020. That means Republicans can’t either.
• The spectacle caused by Trump’s revival of unfounded voter fraud claims offers an early preview of the type of headaches facing Republicans who want to put him center stage in their quest to win back their congressional majorities, particularly the House GOP. Yet some members worry that Trump’s election grievances could create an impossible-to-avoid litmus test in 2022.

Fox News: Republicans who voted for impeachment face barrage of pro-Trump primary challengers

• Nine of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are already facing primary challenges – and some of them may have a very hard time holding on to their seats. 
• Trump vows to work against those Republicans as they run for reelection in 2022, and has already endorsed one primary challenger and signaled there are more to come.