YIKES: “GOP Frets over Nightmare Scenario for Senate Primaries”
“Republicans are facing an early headache of nightmare primary fights” in Alabama and Kansas, while another messy and distracting GOP primary begins to develop in Tennessee
Tillis is also embroiled in a primary in North Carolina, and unelected McSally faces a primary threat in Arizona
Senate Republicans are once again facing an “early headache of nightmare primary fights.”
There are also primary headaches for vulnerable Republican incumbents. Senator Thom Tillis has been losing credibility with North Carolina Republicans and former Tillis donors are now supporting his primary challenger, wealthy self-funder Garland Tucker. Unelected Senator Martha McSally has also once again failed to unite Arizona Republicans behind her after losing last year’s Senate race, and potential GOP primary challenger businessman Daniel McCarthy is saying he has “serious concerns” that McSally will lose again.
“These primaries aren’t just disruptive and expensive, they can derail Republican efforts in these states as we saw in states like Alabama and West Virginia last cycle,” said DSCC spokesperson Stewart Boss. “While Republicans are wrapped up in primary fights trying to sideline unelectable candidates they failed to keep out of these Senate races, Democrats are focused on building strong campaigns, breaking fundraising records and holding Republicans accountable for their unpopular health care records.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Hill: GOP frets over nightmare scenario for Senate primaries
By Jordain Carney
Key Points:
- “Republicans are facing an early headache of nightmare primary fights as they plot to keep control of the Senate.”
- “In Alabama and Kansas, two deep-red states that should be safe GOP seats, the party is facing bids from conservatives Roy Moore and Kris Kobach, respectively, who are viewed as unelectable in a general election and have a history of stealing the national spotlight… bloody fights in those two states could help widen Democrats’ path back to the majority.”
- “A second Republican strategist… characteriz[ed] the two candidates as an ‘unnecessary headache’ and a ‘distraction’ in the larger battle for the Senate.”
- “It’s not the first time conservative challengers have created early frustrations for Republicans.”
- “… Kobach could be the bigger headache for Republicans. The former Kansas secretary of state lost last year’s gubernatorial election by 5 percentage points. Before that he was considered for a Cabinet post, headed up Trump’s panel investigating alleged voter fraud and was briefly considered for an administration job overseeing immigration policy.”
Read the full story here.
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