Mr. Trump’s focus on the 2020 election is a major problem for the GOP. It divides the party, wasting energy and money on internecine fights rather than running against the damage from the Pelosi-Schumer-Biden agenda. It focuses on the past when voters want to hear about the present and future.

It also puts GOP candidates in a tough spot as they attempt to retake the suburban seats they will need to win the House, as well as swing Senate seats in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and New Hampshire. If they don’t swear fealty to the stolen election canard, they’ll risk being attacked by Mr. Trump and his supporters. But if they do agree with the Trump line, they’ll give Democrats an opening to tie them to the Jan. 6 riot and Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn the election result.

The latter won’t go down well in suburban swing districts, which are full of voters who rejected the GOP in 2018 to send a message to Mr. Trump. They gave Mr. Trump a chance in 2016 but had enough by 2020 and made Joe Biden the President. Mr. Trump doesn’t want to admit the centrality of his role in these defeats, but the electoral data are clear.