Establishment Republicans who went along with Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump are now in danger of being removed from office by primary challengers and it looks like their anti-Trump moves could be returning to hurt them.
Trump earlier pushed for the removal of these GOP members in his CPAC speech by saying they spent more time attempting to remove him rather than fighting back against Schumer, Pelosi, and Biden, and that conservative voters should “remove them all.”
Now the time is nearing for Republicans like Liz Cheney, Tom Rice, and Adam Kinzinger.
Cheney has the biggest target on her. To win, she has to defeat eight challengers, one being State Senator Anthony Bouchard, who has already brought in $500,000 in donations. Cheney was previously removed from House Republican leadership over her remarks about Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 event. This puts a great amount of momentum against her.
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler also faces the same pushback as she voted in favor of impeachment, agreeing with the Democrats’ about Trump’s connection to the riot. Fellow Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse was also already coming under calls to resign over his part in impeachment. Both have numerous primary challengers.
Also squaring off with primary challengers is NY Rep. John Katko, Congressman David Valadao from California, Michigan Congressmen Peter Meijer and Fred Upton, and Ohio Congressman Anthony Gonzalez.
Many of their challengers have already had good momentum. Despite being defeated, Trump still maintains his influence over the GOP and his endorsement carries weight. His influence is still so big that Republican leadership rearranges with his calls for action.
Trump and MAGA is about real conservatism and the drive to win without giving in to Democrats, something that was missing from the party for a long time. Republicans saw the impeachment of Trump as a return to the RINO establishment of the party, ready to cave to Democrats at the slightest pressure. Moreover, they viewed it as a betrayal of conservatives during a time when Democrats were more extreme than ever before.
Author: Scott Dowdy