GOP Reckons With Polarizing Candidates Amid Civil Unrest

June 5, 2020by Alan Fram, Associated Press
GOP Reckons With Polarizing Candidates Amid Civil Unrest
Republicans are facing a reckoning as they contend with some divisive candidates during the country's struggle through civic unrest. “He’s driving away moderate Republicans and independents en masse,” retired Sen. Jeff Flake said in an interview Wednesday, June 3, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican Party is facing a reckoning over some of its most divisive candidates. So far the results are mixed, and that’s dicey for the GOP as a country shuddering from coast-to-coast civic unrest hurtles toward November elections.

Republican leaders looking to broaden the party’s appeal were buoyed Tuesday when Iowans refused to renominate Rep. Steve King, known for racially incendiary comments.

But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, their surest bet for derailing a Republican immigration hard-liner who might cost them a Senate seat from deep-red Kansas, definitively skipped that race on Monday.

And most seriously, President Donald Trump has exhibited little empathy as he’s taunted demonstrators as “thugs,” accused governors of being “weak” on protesters and threatened to deploy the military to their states. His tweets like “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” were noteworthy for their pugnacious tone as dozens of cities have been rocked by protests, some violent, over the killing of African Americans by police.

Trump is betting such tactics will make him look strong heading into the election. And Republicans often overlook Trump’s more controversial actions for fear of angering his passionate base. But this time, some worry about having such a polarizing leader atop the ticket during an unprecedented period that includes civil disturbances, the coronavirus pandemic and a collapsed economy.

“He’s driving away moderate Republicans and independents en masse,” former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who retired last year after clashing with Trump, said in an interview Wednesday. “For Republicans who need to appeal to a broader base, it’s devastating.”

Asked if Trump might alienate such voters, especially the suburban women who have already been abandoning the Trump-led GOP, reelection campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said city and suburban residents “deserve to be able to feel safe.” He said Trump has expressed disgust that George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died last week in Minneapolis after a white officer held his knee against Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

But, Murtaugh added, “He is going to restore law and order, and all Americans should welcome that.”

The GOP argues that Democrats have polarizing figures of their own and often point to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to paint all Democrats as socialists. Democratic voters rejected Sanders this year as their presidential nominee in favor of the more moderate Joe Biden. And while Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are prominent leaders, their call for “revolution” has often been more rhetorical than literal.

Republican leaders are taking steps to withhold support from candidates with extreme views.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has pulled his backing for GOP House candidate Ted Howze in central California because of demeaning online posts about Muslims and Hillary Clinton, which Howze said he didn’t write. And leaders have distanced themselves from Oregon Republican Senate candidate Jo Rae Perkins, a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory that claims Trump is leading a secret campaign against “deep state” enemies and pedophiles.

With top Republicans laboring to expand the party’s appeal beyond white men, voters in northwestern Iowa removed one major irritant by rejecting King’s bid for a 10th House term. They instead nominated state Sen. Randy Feenstra, who was helped by spending from the establishment-oriented U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Main Street Partnership, likely rescuing the seat for the GOP.

King was stripped of committee assignments last year by House Republican leaders after he defended white nationalism. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who chairs the House GOP’s campaign organization, said in a brief statement that Feenstra will “make Iowa proud” in Congress but avoided mentioning King.

In Kansas, Pompeo failed to file this week to become a Senate GOP candidate. That’s left Republican leaders figuring out how to keep conservative Kris Kobach, former Kansas secretary of state, from winning that party’s Aug. 4 primary. A competitive seat would make it harder for Republicans to defend their 53-47 Senate majority.

Kobach, who backs restrictive immigration and voting laws, lost a 2018 race for governor in the Republican-dominated state. National Republicans have said they believe they can head him off by backing an alternative, perhaps GOP Rep. Roger Marshall.

But they’ve been nervous that Marshall has raised only modest campaign funds and failed to push other rivals from the field. The Democratic Senate candidate will likely be Barbara Bollier, a state senator and former Republican who’s outraised all contenders.

That still leaves Trump.

Emmer, the House GOP campaign chairman, said people are nervous about safety and Trump’s stance will prove a winning November message.

“Suburban voters are just like voters in these core cities,” Emmer said in an interview. “They want to be protected. And they know that this president is all about making sure he restores law and order.”

Biden, meanwhile, is stepping up his attacks on Trump.

“He thinks division helps him,” Biden said Tuesday. He conjured Trump’s use of police to forcefully clear peaceful demonstrators away from a church near the White House on Monday so he could have his picture taken out front holding a Bible.

“If he opened it instead of brandishing it, he could have learned something,” Biden said.

Underscoring the hazards of Trump’s strong-armed tactics, several Republicans have criticized him for it. That’s rare for a president whom GOP lawmakers usually hesitate crossing for fear of angering his loyal conservative voters.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said he opposed using force for “a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, facing a difficult reelection fight, said Trump “came across as unsympathetic and insensitive.”

Stuart Stevens, a Republican political consultant and Trump critic, said Trump’s tough-guy approach wouldn’t appeal to most voters.

“Let’s say there’s a fight on the football field,” said Stevens. “Do you admire the coach who runs in and starts punching?”

A+
a-
  • Donald Trump
  • GOP
  • Jeff Flake
  • Mike Pompeo
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    2020 Elections

    Pro-Trump Michigan Attorney Arrested After Hearing in DC Over Leaking Dominion Documents

    An attorney facing criminal charges for illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a... Read More

    An attorney facing criminal charges for illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a hearing in a separate case in federal court in Washington, D.C. Stefanie Lambert was arrested by U.S. Marshals after a hearing over possible sanctions against her... Read More

    Judge to Consider Whether to Remove District Attorney Fani Willis From Georgia Election Case

    ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of... Read More

    ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of her election interference case against former President Donald Trump has set a hearing for Thursday that is expected to focus on details of Willis' personal relationship with a special prosecutor she hired.... Read More

    Tape Reveals Donald Trump Pressured Michigan Officials Not to Certify 2020 Vote, New Report Says

    AP — Donald Trump pressured two election officials not to certify 2020 vote totals in a key Michigan county, according... Read More

    AP — Donald Trump pressured two election officials not to certify 2020 vote totals in a key Michigan county, according to a recording of a post-election phone call disclosed in a new report by The Detroit News. The former president 's 2024 campaign neither confirmed nor denied the recording's... Read More

    Appeals Court Says Mark Meadows Can’t Move Georgia Election Case Charges to Federal Court

    ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move... Read More

    ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia to federal court. Meadows was indicted in August along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others... Read More

    December 15, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Jury Slaps Giuliani With $148M in Damages in Defamation Case

    WASHINGTON — After a four-day civil trial, a jury of eight District of Columbia residents awarded two Georgia workers more... Read More

    WASHINGTON — After a four-day civil trial, a jury of eight District of Columbia residents awarded two Georgia workers more than $148 million in their defamation case against Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor turned Trump acolyte. Giuliani was found liable for defaming Ruby... Read More

    December 8, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Appeals Court Largely Upholds Trump DC Gag Order

    WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel on Friday largely upheld a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel on Friday largely upheld a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in the criminal case accusing him of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but loosened it just enough to allow criticism of the... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top