Good essay here - it talks about how Trump has systematically weakened every politician in the Repub party. Esp if the Rs get wiped out and lose the WH and Senate in the fall.
If they lose the House, Senate, WH, then all Trumpers will be suspect, for having led the party, in four years, from controlling all three to controlling none. So Cotton, Graham, McCarthy will be considered the problem - they embraced trumpism and it cost the party everything.
The 'middle' people like Nikki Haley and Ben Sasse have no standing. Trumpers don't trust them, never trumpers don't trust them...they have angered everyone.
Regular conservatives? Trump has kicked them out of the party.
So who will be left to lead the R party? Trump, from the sidelines? A resurgent conservative movement led by someone like Ted Cruz?
The unsaid part is that the Rs made the same mistake the Ds made, by making the president the only major figure in their party. Obama's big mistake was not working to build up the next generation of Dems. As a result there was no one under 70 to run for president credibly.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-is-leading-the-gop-to-the-political-graveyard?ref=author