Republicans are going to lose a bunch of winnable seats in Congress because they picked the craziest MAGA candidate, writes mattklewis
Trump’s support elevated unelectable candidates like Majewski, and Kevin McCarthy did nothing to prevent this or to elevate more electable candidates. Now, he’s reaping what he sowed.
A similar story is taking place in the upper chamber, where candidate quality is more likely to cost Republicans the majority. This week, it was announced thatof Trump-endorsed Blake Masters’ race for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. Give these establishment Republicans credit for husbanding their resources, cutting their losses, and spending their dollars where they think they have a chance to win. But they would have more chess pieces to play with had they gotten in the game sooner—and helped more electable candidates compete with Trump’s hand-picked minions.
Even if they take the majority, Republicans are taking points off the board. In a business that is a game of inches, and in a year when the margins are looking tight, Republicans are poised to leave congressional seats on the table. The only question is: How many? The bad news for normal Republicans who want to use this as a teachable moment is that missed opportunities don’t sting so much as long as you still come out on top. Republicans always win just enough to avoid hitting rock bottom and moving on from Trump.