The legendary American football player who pointed a gun at his ex-wife. Rivals who almost quarreled in a TV debate. A venture capitalist who expressed sympathy for the Unabomber.
This is just one example.
Last year’s Republican Senate primaries in several major states had a carnival-like atmosphere, with far-right candidates at the center of the debate, with careless rhetoric and toxic personal issues resulting in the The party lost its chance to regain a majority.
But amidst the vote crisis, party leaders, including Florida Senator Rick Scott, stood on the sidelines and insisted on remaining neutral in the race.
Now that the 2024 election is about to begin, Republicans are taking steps to avoid repeating themselves. The National Republican Senate Committee, formerly led by Scott, intervenes in party primaries in major states to fund candidates they endorse to field candidates who are more likely to be accepted by voters in the general election.
This may be easier said than done. Similar attempts in recent years have met with opposition from within the party and have ended in failure.
The new move will once again test whether the Republican establishment can return to the mainstream a party that has been shaped by Donald Trump’s rebellious presidency.
Senator Steve Danes of Montana, the new NRSC chairman, said, “When I got the job, people kept telling me that Republicans were sick of losing.” “I’m going to do whatever it takes to amass a candidate who can win both the primary and the general election because this is our last chance to target red state Democrats in the decade.
This new approach was demonstrated at an NRSC retreat this month at the exclusive Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla., which brought together senators and candidates, including Dave McCormick.
The hedge fund CEO narrowly lost the 2022 Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary to pro-Trump talent Dr. Mehmet Oz and nearly five points to Democrat John Fetterman in the general election. defeated.
McCormick, who requested anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door meeting, said he is considering running again in 2024 and spoke at several days of events, according to two senior Republican strategists.
Later, at a packed ballroom that included at least one other candidate vying for a seat in Pennsylvania, Danes praised McCormick and said he would make a good candidate, said one of the strategists. says.
Also, according to two other Republican strategists familiar with the matter, Mr. McCormick has been linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and has received funding from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that spends millions on television advertising. They are promised support.
If McCormick wins, the Senate Republican Party will be in full swing.
Another example is the committee’s early endorsement of Rep. Jim Banks in the Indiana Senate primary.
Indiana is a strong Republican state, but a crowded primary like it was in 2018 could drain resources that would be better spent in a competitive state. Banks has yet to field a serious candidate.
The move could also be seen as a show of loyalty to Trump and the conservative group Club for Growth, which has often been at odds with Senate Republican leaders. Banks is close to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and has the endorsement of Club for Growth.
Some Republicans contrast the NRSC’s intended new approach with Mr. Scott’s. Consider his response in the 2022 Colorado Senate by-election.
Republican moderate Joe O’Dare, a construction company owner, was seen by many as the candidate who could win the former swing state in a good year for the Republican party.
However, when Scott visited the state, he flatly refused to endorse O’Dea. Meanwhile, O’Dea’s rival state legislators had conspiracy theories, praising them for crossing police lines in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots and struggling to raise money for the campaign.
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