For more on the infighting in the House Republican primary, tune in to “Inside Politics with Manu Raju,” airing Sundays at 8 a.m. ET and 11 a.m. ET.
Washington
CNN
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Republican Rep. Don Bacon has been at odds with the far right wing of the conference.
They have ousted one Speaker of the House and are trying to oust another, while ignoring leadership policies and now actively campaigning against sitting Republicans, including himself. Is going.
Nebraska Republicans are now weighing the issue after House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia announced his support for Bacon’s Republican rival ahead of the May 14 primary. I’m going to take matters into my own hands.
“I’m now supporting Bob Good’s opponent…because Bob Good came forward and supported my opponent,” said Bacon, who said he had never supported a colleague before. he told CNN. “So we’re going to give it our all. That’s how it works.”
Campaigning against incumbent members of the same party has long been a violation of Capitol Hill rules. But in the 118th Congress, House Republicans have been mired in a never-ending series of intra-party wars, with members hurling personal insults at each other and chastising each other for failing to enact conservative policies. Now he is actively tripping over his Republican colleagues in an attempt to defeat them. In a race that has a huge impact on the direction of the party.
In Texas, Rep. Tony Gonzalez is backed by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and Goode (who the incumbent Republican recently derided as a “shithole”) ahead of a May 28 runoff election. trying to repel a challenger. In South Carolina, members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus are rallying around conservative state Rep. Adam Morgan, who is trying to unseat Rep. William Timmons in the June 11 primary. . In Virginia, center-right Republican and ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy is running in the June 18 primary against Mr. Good, one of eight Republicans who voted to expel Mr. McCarthy last fall. He previously supported Republican challenger John McGuire.
Other intra-party feuds are also taking shape over House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to tell his colleagues to “disassociate” and stop campaigning against each other.
Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, one of the two remaining Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Donald Trump in the wake of the 2021 Capitol riot, said Trump publicly He faces the wrath of MAGA supporters for calling for defeat. Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a former Freedom Caucus leader, recently asked his colleagues to consider whether to support Newhouse’s Republican challenger, Jerrod Sessler, according to people familiar with the matter. He told his colleagues that he was considering war. (Mr. Perry’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)
And with 11 hours left before the filing deadline at the end of last month, the primary challenger to Gaetz, the leader of the movement to oust McCarthy, has emerged. Gates made no secret of his desire to end Gates’ career. The development comes as some of Mr. McCarthy’s associates seek to recruit a candidate to defeat Mr. Gaetz.. Mr. McCarthy’s allies in the House Republican conference are now considering backing Aaron Dimock, a retired naval officer who will face Mr. Gates in the Aug. 20 primary.
“I would really appreciate it if someone could come here and focus on governing instead of being on TV,” said Derrick, the Wisconsin Republican who recently called Gates a “fat guy” during a tense standoff on the House floor. said Congressman Van Orden. “The entire conference is tired of Matt Gaetz, Bob Goode and (Texas) Chip Roy. They are bullies, and the only way to get back at the bullies is to It’s about fighting back hard.”
Gates’ answer is:
Gaetz ignored his main challenge, attacking his opponents as out of touch with Florida’s Panhandle and calling the race “about as exciting as a buffet at Golden Corral.”
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida walks past reporters as he leaves a House Republican caucus at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2024.
The battle is a growing battle within the Republican Party between lawmakers who are open to bipartisan deals to govern progressively in divided Washington and hardliners who see such compromises as an affront to conservative orthodoxy. It highlights a major debate. This feud intensified during the Tea Party wave of 2010, and has become even more pronounced during the growing Trump era. And while the results of most of these primaries won’t affect Republicans’ efforts to maintain their majority, they will shape the composition of the next House Republican conference and how it pursues its agenda.
“We’re looking to run with the most conservative people,” said U.S. Representative Ralph Norman, a Freedom Caucus member who is backing Republican challenger Morgan against Timmons, also from South Carolina. the lawmaker said. “This country is in trouble. It has to go. And that’s what we’re willing to do.”
Unlike other races, Bacon is a true swing seat and could tip the balance of power in November, given that Joe Biden led the district in 2020. Already, Democratic and Republican groups are spending roughly equal amounts on the airwaves, totaling $3 million in advertising so far.
Democrats are hoping state Sen. Tony Vargas can unseat Bacon, who is expected to win the primary against Dan Frye. Dan Frye is a conservative candidate who entered Nebraska politics a decade ago during the Tea Party era and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against a former congressman. Lee Terry. He has made the national debt and illegal immigration central to his campaign against Bacon.
“He’s been there eight years. When he went there, we were about $17 trillion in debt. We’re $34 trillion in debt,” Frye said. said in an interview. “When he first crossed the border, there were tens of thousands of people crossing the border, and now there are millions of people in this country.”
Asked if it was fair to name Bacon, Mr. Fry replied, “How can you not blame the people there?”
Eric Underwood, another of Bacon’s enemies who is trying to defeat his bid. Republican Chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party.
Underwood told CNN that the decision to support Frey was personal, citing Bacon’s position on same-sex marriage and support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and that Bacon was a member of Nebraska’s They argued that they did not represent the values of the state Republican Party. He supported stricter border security measures.
The Speaker also defended running against incumbent members of his own party. “There’s a lot of misconceptions about what political parties are supposed to do,” Underwood said in a phone interview. “The purpose of the party is to advance our principles and maintain a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Asked if he was worried about Frey losing his Republican seat in the November election, Underwood told CNN, “I’m going to put in the work and effort and put the party’s values and principles into my campaign.” I believe that anyone can win if they incorporate this into their work.”
Mr. Underwood said the party would not provide funding or fundraising for Mr. Frye’s campaign. But a pro-Fry mailer attacking bacon shared by CNN indicates it was paid for by the “Republican Party of Nebraska.”
Mr. Underwood maintained that the mailer was fully repaid by the Frye campaign and said the mailer was just one of several party resources available to supported candidates.
Good, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, declined to comment last week when asked why he supported Bacon’s opponents on Capitol Hill. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa
Congressman Tony Gonzalez at the U.S. Capitol in January. Several of Gonzalez’s colleagues in the House are backing his Republican primary challenger who is seeking re-election.
A national group is coming to Bacon’s defense.
“I wish we didn’t have this infighting,” said Sarah Chamberlain, president of the center-right Republican Main Street Partnership. The partnership is spending $450,000 on advertising to boost McGuire, Good’s primary challenger in rural Virginia.
In an interview, Bacon pushed back on his opponents and defended his record. He also said the critics represent the “Steve Bannon faction” of the Nebraska Republican Party, adding that the party chairman said: We saw the discord in this leadership team divide us. ”
Mr Johnson endorsed Mr Bacon and campaigned for the House seat in his district in December. Bacon has more than 100 supporters, but no Nebraska senator has endorsed Frey.
Bacon said critics may challenge some of his votes, including approving billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. “I’m more of a traditional Republican, and some of them are definitely isolationists,” he said. “It’s their right to feel that way. I don’t think that’s a Republican.”
Mr Bacon, who has been aligned with party leaders on key issues, criticized his colleagues for undermining the “norms” of the House, including by blocking legislation on the first procedural vote. Something that has rarely been done before has been weaponized by hardliners in this Congress.
“All the norms have been undermined by them,” Bacon said.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Sheden Tesfaldet contributed to this report.
