Exactly my experience as well, I work in a very conservative industry and everyone who mentions rank choice voting blames the R losses on it. The first vote with it, it was clear that they had their head in the sand about how it worked because they thought it would fail, then came the “Rank the red” which didn’t work. It’s very surprising to them when people don’t vote the way they think they should. Their whole attitude is very childish and tribal.
Also it’s cool to see another Alaskan on here.
Trump is a figurehead and mouth piece only, it’s clear the backing and power behind him is pushing him, not the other way around. If Trump is dead or unelectable then they will sub in someone else. Trump’s “saving grace” is that he was good at speaking in a relatable but obfuscating way which worked to foment the masses against imagined grievances, but that’s not a trait unique to him. He is unfortunately replaceable with not much loss in momentum.