There was once an incumbent advantage. There is no more: people are angry. Beats me why, but they are, everywhere I look. So they don’t have to change anything. The change has happened all on its own, and it seems to be to their advantage.
That, and cheat, litigate in bad faith, and most of what has been written up-thread. I feel it is looking bad. But I am not a Republican. They must be feeling differently.
I also feel this is the key strategy for Republicans. They know there is a hard core of maga voters who will show up and vote for Trump, regardless of what happens between now and Election Day. So they have to make sure that Trump core doesn’t get outvoted by other people.
So the Republicans are going to push an unusual strategy. Instead of typical narratives like “Here’s why you should vote for our guy” or “Here’s why you should vote against the other guy” their narrative will be “Here’s why you shouldn’t bother voting.”