Republican primary, former president rides his candidates’ victories ahead in Pennsylvania, key state for Midterm elections
There are the numbers, and those say that on Tuesday of the primaries in five US states ahead of the Midterm elections, Trump’s candidates did well, but without the streak that the tycoon perhaps dreamed of. A few missteps like the defeat of 26-year-old Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina and Hanice McGeachin in Idaho, and the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the race in Pennsylvania where Trump-sponsored doctor and TV star Mehmet Oz is just 500 more votes than the man of the establishment but not unwelcome to Trump, David McCormick. They will be counting and re-counting cards for the whole week. Whoever wins will challenge John Fetterman, a Democrat, who spent election night in hospital due to an illness in recent days.
THE numbers, however, also say that where Trump has branded a candidate, he was elected: only in two cases out of 27 did he lose. Of course, the former president is a “political animal” and he has also put his imprimatur on safe horses, senators or outgoing deputies with the road downhill towards reconfirmation. In total, in the various electoral rounds that will follow one another until August, 150 candidates have the Trump “brand” on their shirts.
But beyond the numbers there is something more than leaving this first little election super Tuesday: Maga, the Trump movement, is in excellent health. His message is strong and those who hoped – moderate America and traditional Republicans – that Trump’s angry populist wind was now just a breeze will have to change their mind.
The hands of the former president stretch over the Republican Party and for Mitch McConnell, Senate guardian for the GOP, it will be a difficult coexistence with the extreme wing that could have more and more strength if in November the Republicans – pushed by the Trumpians – regain the majority to Congress. Polls say that, in light of a Biden whose popularity is 42%.
First of all, neither the tones nor the classic themes of The Donald have disappeared. A study revealed that the words most often used in rallies and press releases by right-wing candidates are “fight”, “defense” in a kind of war language in which there is a minority space for concrete issues and proposals. Secondly, the supporters of the “stolen elections of 2000” have returned to win. Two above all: the Republicans have chosen Doug Mastriano as the candidate for the post of governor of Pennsylvania whose program is radical: ban on abortion, no restrictions for Covid, anti-gay positions. Rewinding the tape, however, reveals that Mastriano, then a state senator, was at the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021, which then resulted in the assault on the Capitol. Even today he is convinced that the 2020 elections were the result of a theft by the Democrats, despite recounting, sentences and verdicts say the opposite. This narrative was also married to Ted Budd in North Carolina, who voted against the certification of Biden’s victory: he will run for the Senate driven by the endorsement of Donald and 139 other deputies. He will face the Democrat Cheri Beasley, the first African American to grasp her party nomination and a character who best embodies the strategy that the Democrats have chosen for this round: candidates outside the mainstream and with a liberal and progressive background. A choice that will be understood only in November if he has paid.
The key game, however, remains that of din Pennsylvania, where Oz is just ahead of McCormick. Third, 8 points behind is Kathy Barnette, the outsider who reached 24.8%, a far-right commentator who says she is “a product of rape” but is an anti-abortionist. She as much as anti-gay and anti-Islam. The fact that she got a quarter of her approval says a lot about how much Republicans owe to deal with extremist pressures that distance them from the tradition that belonged to Reagan, Bush, McCain and today perhaps Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, yesterday with a recount underway, Trump jumped on the scene saying that Oz “should declare victory” and suggesting – without having any proof – that his candidate could lose only if there were fraud. As in 2020, he reiterated. The story returns to the starting point. And Trump tries to ride it.
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