Pro-Trump Senate candidates create early 2022 headaches for Republican leaders

[essentialsaltes]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Another, an Alabama congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s warm-up act for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging participants to “start taking down names and kicking [butt].” [Mo Brooks]

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

The early entrance of so many zealously pro-Trump candidates — all of whom have endorsed Trump’s bogus claims of rampant election fraud — is an early challenge for top Republican leaders in Washington as they seek to ... deal with their own internal divisions between those in the party who remain loyal to Trump at all costs and those who want to forge a GOP identity distinct from the former president.

The GOP became all Trump all the time. Can it become anything else by 2022?

 

[Nithavela]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Another, an Alabama congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s warm-up act for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging participants to “start taking down names and kicking [butt].” [Mo Brooks]

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

The early entrance of so many zealously pro-Trump candidates — all of whom have endorsed Trump’s bogus claims of rampant election fraud — is an early challenge for top Republican leaders in Washington as they seek to ... deal with their own internal divisions between those in the party who remain loyal to Trump at all costs and those who want to forge a GOP identity distinct from the former president.

The GOP became all Trump all the time. Can it become anything else by 2022?

It can become even trumpier.

 

[Tom 1]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Another, an Alabama congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s warm-up act for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging participants to “start taking down names and kicking [butt].” [Mo Brooks]

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

The early entrance of so many zealously pro-Trump candidates — all of whom have endorsed Trump’s bogus claims of rampant election fraud — is an early challenge for top Republican leaders in Washington as they seek to ... deal with their own internal divisions between those in the party who remain loyal to Trump at all costs and those who want to forge a GOP identity distinct from the former president.

The GOP became all Trump all the time. Can it become anything else by 2022?

One of the most disappointing things about the Trump movement is the evident inability of millions of north American christians to exercise a basic level of discernment or get beyond the basic nonsense churned out by Fox and the like. Before Trump turned up I didn't seriously think that was anything but a stereotype. but the stereotype now seems like an understatement. I doubt support for amoral cretins will end any time soon.

 

[Fantine]

My son who recently moved here from Missouri was horrified that Greitens was running for Roy Blunt's seat.

I do think it's harder for a radical Republican (especially one whose background is riddled with scandal) to pull the wool over the eyes of an entire state. It might work in a homogeneously conservative Congressional district (e.g. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert) but most states will find a more mainstream candidate.

 

[GDL]

I doubt support for amoral cretins will end any time soon.

As evidenced with most administrations, if not all of them, including the current one.

 

[Ringo84]

Good.
Ringo

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I wonder how well they’ll get out the vote while at the same time pushing the lie that our elections are a farce.

 

[Hank77]

I wonder how well they’ll get out the vote while at the same time pushing the lie that our elections are a farce.

They're trying to do that by changing voter laws in each state. They'll use that to say they fixed the problems and the elections are now safe because of them.

 

[Guinan]

These Republicans won't have my support as long as they support Trump. If there aren't any Never Trump Republicans on the ballot when I go vote, then I'll vote for the Democratic candidates.

 

[essentialsaltes]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Oh, the innocence of 6 months ago, when something like that was thought to be a negative in the GOP primaries.

Disgraced former governor is recast as MAGA warrior in Senate bid
Former Gov. Eric Greitens is viewed by many Republicans as the candidate most likely to jeopardize a GOP-held Senate seat. Yet he’s leading in primary polls in Missouri.

 

[wing2000]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Another, an Alabama congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s warm-up act for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging participants to “start taking down names and kicking [butt].” [Mo Brooks]

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

The early entrance of so many zealously pro-Trump candidates — all of whom have endorsed Trump’s bogus claims of rampant election fraud — is an early challenge for top Republican leaders in Washington as they seek to ... deal with their own internal divisions between those in the party who remain loyal to Trump at all costs and those who want to forge a GOP identity distinct from the former president.

The GOP became all Trump all the time. Can it become anything else by 2022?

They all sound "well-qualified" for today's GOP.

 

[essentialsaltes]

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

Mandel and Mike Gibbons apparently nearly got into a fistfight at a GOP primary debate. No link because Mandel called Gibbons a grab-able thing.

 

[Brihaha]

Trump's endorsements are even troublesome for trump himself. Since Mo Brooks fell behind he is looking at pulling a flip flop to endorse the leader. And Perdue down in Georgia isn't looking too hot either. I'm not sure how the former Bulldog Hershel Walker will do either. It's a good thing for trump that a person's principles and qualifications are not criterion for his endorsement hahaha.

 

[Ana the Ist]

LINK

One candidate resigned the Missouri governorship in disgrace, facing criminal charges and allegations that an extramarital affair had turned violent. [Eric Greitens]

Is this what makes him a Trump supporter? An affair?

Another, an Alabama congressman, served as President Donald Trump’s warm-up act for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging participants to “start taking down names and kicking [butt].” [Mo Brooks]

Mo appears to be polling at 3rd or 4th place.

A third recently had his Twitter account temporarily suspended when the Ohio hopeful referred to some of the people crossing the southern border as “Muslim Terrorists” and “Mexican Gangbangers.” [Josh Mandel]

Is that what makes him a Trump supporter?

The early entrance of so many zealously pro-Trump candidates — all of whom have endorsed Trump’s bogus claims of rampant election fraud — is an early challenge for top Republican leaders in Washington as they seek to ... deal with their own internal divisions between those in the party who remain loyal to Trump at all costs and those pformer president.

I don't know what "loyal to Trump at all costs" means when talking about candidates who seek a former president's endorsement.

The GOP became all Trump all the time.

They certainly want you to think this.

The sad thing is there are genuine legitimate reasons why extremism is concerning on both sides....but this ain't it as far as I can tell.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Is this what makes him a Trump supporter? An affair?

No, I'd say it's his vocal support for Trump that makes him a Trump supporter.
Trump’s McConnell obsession leads him toward Eric Greitens

Is that what makes him a Trump supporter?

No, that would be his campaign slogan: "Pro-GOD, Pro-GUN, Pro-TRUMP"
Pro-Trump Ohio candidates realize endorsement may never come

 

[Fantine]

Our primary is really sad--a two-term Republican Senator v.s. a former New England Patriot and veteran whose slogan is "Bullets, Borders, Babies." (Noticeably lacking is brains.) His whole commercial has him posing menacingly with various heavy duty weapons looking like someone I would hide in a closet to avoid.
His website lists the Trump agenda as one of his issues.
The result is that the incumbent is bending over backwards to appeal to the Q'Anon-militia vote for fear of losing the primary. It's sad to see him lower himself to his opponent's level.
To me it shows a lack of respect for Arkansas voters if he believes that we would abandon decency and standards for a candidate more like MTG, Hawley, or Gosar.

 

[Ana the Ist]

No, I'd say it's his vocal support for Trump that makes him a Trump supporter.
Trump’s McConnell obsession leads him toward Eric Greitens


No, that would be his campaign slogan: "Pro-GOD, Pro-GUN, Pro-TRUMP"
Pro-Trump Ohio candidates realize endorsement may never come

Ok...pretty catchy.

I guess I don't see much unusual about Republicans in close races appealing to the base of the most recent ex president.


If they were all doing it, or even most of them, it would make more sense as an article.

Without that, it looks like an attempt to magnify the "threat" Trump poses....because without that, there's no unity on the left.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Without that, it looks like an attempt to magnify the "threat" Trump poses

No, the article and thread are about the headaches within the GOP, specifically for party leaders like Mitch McConnell, who would like to have electable candidates, but the primaries are full of these 2020 Grievance Committee candidates. McConnell will probably try to hamstring some of the craziest candidates, as he's done in the past. Or at least that's the import of the OP from last year. You mentioned Mo Brooks isn't doing so well at the moment. There's a reason for that.

“My goal is, in every way possible, to have nominees representing the Republican Party who can win in November,” McConnell told Politico. “The only thing I care about is electability.”

Trump, meanwhile, has fingered McConnell as being part of the problem and said in a blistering statement last month that he would back primary candidates where “necessary and appropriate,” setting up a potential power struggle between the former president and the Kentucky Republican over who will guide the party through key Senate races.

Despite McConnell’s comments, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) , the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told reporters Tuesday that his organization would not seek to insert itself into GOP primaries and that he trusted Republican voters to “pick well.”

But another GOP arm with close McConnell ties, the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, has played in primaries, moving successfully to sideline firebrand conservative Kris Kobach in Kansas last year and to snuff out coal baron Don Blankenship’s campaign to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) in 2018. An earlier SLF effort in Alabama, however, failed to derail the Senate campaign of Roy Moore, who won the nomination under a cloud of child sex abuse allegations and went on to lose to Democrat Doug Jones in 2017.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Teetering with Trump, Brooks calls for McConnell's ouster

(background: Trump told the Washington Examiner last week that he was considering pulling his endorsement of Brooks, who has trailed his primary opponents in fundraising. In the interview, Trump ripped Brooks for urging Republicans to move on from questioning the results of the 2020 election.)

The Alabama Senate hopeful joined two other Republican candidates in opposing McConnell's leadership.

“America can’t afford a Senate leader who is a weak-kneed, debt junkie, open-border RINO Republican and who, worse yet, sells out America for special interest group cash,” Brooks says in a new 90-second web advertisement.

Brooks says in the spot that McConnell “will do everything he can to defeat me because he’s determined to stop the MAGA movement and Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates for the U.S. Senate,” and he challenges Britt and Durant to join him in supporting McConnell’s ouster.

“Do you stand with grassroots conservatives or Mitch McConnell and the RINOs?” Brooks says.

Brooks joins two other Republican candidates — Eric Greitens of Missouri and Kelly Tshibaka of Alaska — in pushing for McConnell’s removal. All three are running staunchly anti-establishment campaigns and are aligning themselves with former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly laced into McConnell over the past year.

 

[Mayzoo]

They're trying to do that by changing voter laws in each state. They'll use that to say they fixed the problems and the elections are now safe because of them.

They will only say this if they win. On the other hand, if they lose....................