“It’s pretty clear that our more liberal, established brethren in the Senate have not fared well,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) Said, who is considering an attempt to take the seat of outgoing Republican Richard Shelby in the upper chamber. “It was the only one that lost in 2020. And our conservatives have won. ‘
“This is therefore a reasonable sign of what American voters prefer,” he added.
During the Trump years, a group of Republicans from the House built national profiles and stuffed their war chests to defend the former president through various investigations and accusations. Now, amid an intense internal debate over the future of the IDP, some of the same lawmakers want to use their new-found star on the right as a springboard to higher office – even after a pro-Trump mob on January 6 Capitol stormed. and the GOP lost the House, Senate and White House under Trump.
Among the Republicans considering a Senate contest is Brooks, who spearheaded the attempt to contest the election results, while Shelby voted to confirm Biden’s victory; Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who chairs the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and hails from a state where lawmakers have bolstered Trump’s false claims of fraud against voters; and Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, a hardline who replaced former Speaker John Boehner in Congress.
“The Trump policy and platform is the direction of the party,” Biggs said. ‘So I think people who have adopted the America First policy. They really have a good chance of winning their constituencies. ”
Davidson may be looking for the spot evacuated by centrist Rob Robman (R-Ohio); he can also tackle a run for governor.
“It’s clear to me that the Make America Great Again coalition is the future of the party,” said Davidson, a Freedom Caucus member and critic of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s coronavirus strategy in Ohio.
Another opportunity for ambitious Trump acolytes arose on Monday when longtime senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), A member of the GOP leadership and ally of minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Resigned announced.
No one has officially stated that they will seek the seat, although Representative Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Who has embraced Trump tightly and represents a rural part of the state, is being driven as a potential rival. (And more moderate Rep. Ann Wagner, who represents a district in the suburbs of St. Louis, does not rule out a run.)
Blunt, who spoke in Missouri on Monday, took a subtle chance at lawmakers who refuse to compromise. “The country in the last decade or so has fallen off the edge of too many politicians saying, ‘If you vote for me, I’ll never compromise on anything,'” Blunt said. “It’s a philosophy that does not work in a democracy in particular.”
Meanwhile, Republicans in Georgia are tackling Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who won a special election in January but will have to win a full six-year term in 2022. Former Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.), A Trump loyalist who drafted a failed Senate bid, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he may run nationwide again. Collins looks to defiant Warnock or Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has become a disgraceful figure on the right because he has refused to reverse Georgia’s election results.
Two other hard-hitting Trump allies in the Peach State, representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jody Hice, have both indicated through their offices that they are focused on their work in the House.
Then there is New York, where GOP representatives Lee Zeldin and Elise Stefanik – who were both catapulted from the back seats of Congress after defending Trump during his first indictment – both apparently devise a possible bid for governor. A Republican has not led the state for 15 years, but some in the GOP see an opening with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo under fire over sexual harassment and coronavirus scandals.
One factor that could be a turning point in the decision-making process is a coveted approval from Trump. Both Biggs and Brooks said they had talked to Trump or to people around him about a possible bid; Biggs also met with senators and outreach groups to discuss ‘what it would look like’ to run.
“In Alabama, a presidential Trump endorsement is gold,” said Brooks, who plans to make a decision this month or next year.
So far, however, Trump has endorsed only one congressional candidate: Max Miller, a former White House and campaign aide who acts against GOP representative Anthony Gonzalez in what is currently a safe red seat in northeast Ohio. Gonzalez apparently endangered himself after voting to accuse Trump of inciting the January 6 riot.
Not all Senate games where Trump allies can step in are a safe field for Republicans. This raises concerns that ultra-conservative candidates could win in the by-elections, especially if they deserve Trump’s support, and then complicate the GOP’s attempt to win back the Senate majority.
The fear is particularly sharp in Arizona, where Biggs may be the frontrunner in a by-election, but is likely to struggle to oust Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), A former astronaut and fundraising juggernaut, in the general election.
“Given that [Biggs’] ‘s profile has increased significantly because of his affiliation with Trump and the things that were going on [January] 6th, it makes him formidable in a primary. But that will make it very challenging for him in general, ”said Sean Noble, a GOP strategist.
“I would be shocked if he did not get the president’s support, and I would guess he would raise a considerable amount of money,” Noble added. “But I do not know if he has the ability to raise $ 100 million, that’s what Mark Kelly last raised.”
Brooks will have some competition in the Trump lane, which occupies the entire highway in Alabama. Lynda Blanchard, the former ambassador of Trump in Slovenia, is the only candidate officially presented so far, and her campaign has announced that she has already poured $ 5 million into the race.
Yet Brooks said he has seen votes increase him by double figures against any potential GOP candidates in the state.
“I think Mo Brooks positioned him well,” said Chris Brown, a Republican strategist in Alabama. “We are the Trumpiest state in the country and he is the Trumpiest member of our delegation.”
And Brooks also noted that the Alabama GOP recently passed a resolution praising Brooks and the rest of the Republican state delegation – everyone, that is, except Shelby.
‘There are two resolutions they accept. “One was strict about me, the other about our delegation, with the exception of Richard Shelby,” Brooks said. ‘It complimented Tommy Tuberville, myself and the other Republican House members from Alabama. And kept quiet about Richard Shelby, because Richard Shelby voted to support the election results. ”
If some legislators from the House Freedom Caucus do end up in the Senate, it will not be the first time that members of the hardline have graduated to a higher position. Other former HFC members include Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), GOP Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, and former White House Chiefs of Staff Mark Meadows and Mick Mulvaney.
“Say what you will about the Freedom Caucus,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who himself passed a Senate offer, said, ‘but I think it just shows that people appreciate people telling them what they’re going to do. , and then go to the office and do what they said. ‘
James Arkin reported.