An anti-Trump group produced four ads attacking his legal troubles. They backfired.

Three of the 4 really boosted Trump’s enactment among the participants. One — a softer-touch spot that features a elector saying Trump’s trials “worries” him — had nary measurable interaction connected Trump’s numbers. The unaired ads, on with astir 260 pages of accompanying information analysis, were obtained by POLITICO.

Strategists with the blimpish anti-Trump governmental enactment committee, Win It Back PAC decided to shelve the commercials. They stay unaired.

Win It Back PAC representatives declined to comment.

The behind-the-scenes deliberations astir the ads underscores however Trump’s ineligible problems have, if anything, helped — not wounded — his lasting successful the primary. With the archetypal nominating contention little than 3 months away, a swath of Republican voters is making it wide they spot Trump arsenic the unfortunate of the ineligible system, not a violator of it.

That dynamic has created a predicament for Trump’s rivals. Neither Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis nor erstwhile U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, his starring opponents, person made Trump’s indictments a absorption of their attacks connected the erstwhile president. Rather, some person taken steps to support him: After Trump was indicted for interfering successful Georgia’s 2020 predetermination ballot count, DeSantis called it an “example” of the “criminalization of politics.”

While Haley has called Trump’s ineligible battles a “distraction,” she has besides said if elected president, she would beryllium “inclined” to pardon the erstwhile president and indicated she would vote for him successful the wide predetermination if helium were convicted.

Win It Back PAC conducted its survey Sept. 15-19, a period aft Trump was indicted successful the Georgia lawsuit and implicit his relation successful instigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The online survey, which sampled 3,075 Republican voters nationwide, was designed to measurement the interaction each advertisement would person connected Trump’s level of enactment against the afloat tract of superior candidates, and besides successful a prospective head-to-head matchup with DeSantis.

“All 4 ads tested failed to determination enactment distant from Trump connected some the superior ballot and two-way ballot with DeSantis, comparative to a powerfully pro-Trump baseline,” work 1 of the memos accompanying the ad.

The advertisement that raised the anticipation of a Trump conviction, the memo says, “performed worst connected the two-way ballot” against DeSantis. That commercial, and the 1 that said Trump’s indictments had “worn him down,” it adds, “backfired crossed astir each demographic groups.”

The document, which was authored by the Republican information steadfast Echelon Insights, does not connection immoderate conclusions connected wherefore the commercials backfired. But successful a conception entitled “open-ended feedback” it quotes respective participants pointedly defending the erstwhile president.

“I powerfully disagree with this ad. I don’t deliberation radical are giving Trump a just accidental due to the fact that of who helium is,” said one.

“The happening that bothers maine the astir is the filthy lying individuals who are highly corrupt that are trying to crucify Trump, which is evidently 100 percent unfair,” said another.

The memo quotes a 3rd responsive saying: “Stop bashing Trump and basal down him.”

Trump has promoted the thought that helium is the unfortunate of a ineligible strategy that is retired to destruct him. His run has, among different things, sold blown-up posters of the mugshot taken aft helium was indicted for allegedly interfering successful Georgia’s 2020 predetermination ballot count. The signed posters are captioned, “Never Surrender!”

Win It Back has spent implicit $6 cardinal since it launched successful July, airing much than a fistful of anti-Trump ads successful aboriginal nominating states plastering Trump. The emergence of the organization, which connected its archetypal filing with the Federal Election Commission listed Club for Growth President David McIntosh arsenic its designated agent, represented the latest twist successful a yearslong turbulent narration betwixt Trump and the Club.

After the anti-tax Club spent millions of dollars successful a failed effort to halt him from winning the Republican information successful 2016, Trump and McIntosh became allies during his presidency. But their narration soured during the 2022 midterm predetermination erstwhile it backed rival candidates successful the Ohio Republican Senate primary. The Club would aboriginal awesome it was opposed to his 2024 comeback bid.

The Win It Back PAC commercials that did tally questioned Trump’s quality to bushed Biden successful a wide election. But the radical has been disconnected the aerial since August, arsenic Trump rivals struggled to consolidate support. It is unclear if it volition resume its attacks connected the erstwhile president.

In precocious September, Club for Growth President David McIntosh wrote a abstracted memo to Win It Back’s donors successful which helium conveyed that the commercials that aired had succeeded successful damaging Trump, but that it made small quality due to the fact that different candidates failed to unify the anti-Trump superior ballot astir them. The memo was archetypal reported by The New York Times.

From the outset, the radical has tried to entreaty to Trump’s supporters by offering a affirmative connection astir what Trump initially brought to the presidency but besides pass that helium would not beryllium the party’s champion campaigner going forward.

Americans for Prosperity, a blimpish outfit overseen by billionaire Charles Koch’s governmental network, has besides attempted to halt Trump. To date, the enactment has spent much than $15 cardinal connected anti-Trump advertising, according to an authoritative with the group. One integer advertisement from Americans for Prosperity invoked Trump’s ineligible baggage, making the lawsuit that it would undermine his quality to decision Biden. Like Win it Back, Americans for Prosperity has not endorsed a campaigner successful the primary.

But specified groups person successful the past struggled to summation traction. In 2016, the Club and different group, Our Principles PAC, spent heavy to halt Trump from winning the primary. He won anyway.