November 1, 2023

"The people on the Republican side are highly concerned about what’s happening in this country and realize how important this Wisconsin U.S. Senate race is."

"I would hope that they would have those conversations and decide amongst themselves. Instead of having a nasty primary, let’s back one of us and move forward."
[Possible candidate Scott] Mayer echoes Johnson’s thinking. “We really don’t want a bloody primary,” he told NBC News. “But it’s a free country,” he added....
"I am not at all one of these people who believes we should be anointing someone with party insiders," [said possible candidate Eric Hovde.] "Candidates are made better by rigorous debate on stage, having to be in front of the public and really having to make their argument. That sets us up better for a general election run." 
The hope from Republicans this year, though, is that the party will unite early in favor of one candidate and against Baldwin. "Primaries can be good, but in a situation where you have an incumbent who has a good deal of money and resources, we’ve gone down this road before," one Republican strategist in the state said, referring to Baldwin's re-election in 2018, where she won by over 10 percentage points.

25 comments:

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The GOP is the stupid party in this area. Instead of coalescing around a strong candidate, they often use petty litmus tests and then bloody war - all while the left sit there and laugh and win.
GOP primary battles are always huge gifts to the left. Always. And rarely do democrats have nasty primary battles. Why? they get the game.

rinse and repeat.

Michael K said...

Johnson is one of the best Senators who was fortunately able to beat the nut the Democrats put up against last election.

Mr Wibble said...

The GOP got Trump because the state-level parties are so disorganized that they've failed for years to build up infrastructure to recruit and develop candidates or get-out-the-vote.

rcocean said...

Honestly, this is so stupid. It doesn't matter if the R's get the Senate or not. They wont even vote against Biden's radical leftwing cabinet members or judges. Nor will they filibuster gun control or other leftwing legislation. And you always have 4 or so "Moderate" Republicans who will "Reach accross the asile" to give Schumer a victory on the budget and everything else.

Last time McConnell and his gang had a Senate Majority they refused to fund a border wall, and sabotaged Trump every chance they got. McConnell, Romney, Lisa Murkey, thune, etc. love Joe Biden and Love open borders and wars in the Middle east.

So, I don't give a damn if the R's control the Senate or not. Or if a Republican is elected in Winsconsin. It just doesn't matter.

Michael said...

Yeah. The GOP got Trump, and we all got a southern border coming under control, energy independence, non-inflationary growth, peace in Europe, and the Abraham Accords in the Middle East. Whatever happened to all that? It can't all be the DemPanic.

gilbar said...

I stand w Isreal. Leftists, Mullahs, Hamas-Palistinian terrorists can suck it said...
The GOP is the stupid party in this area. Instead of coalescing around a strong candidate, they often use petty litmus tests and then bloody war - all while the left sit there and laugh and win.

so? so YOU are in favor of "coalescing around" around Trump, now? I guess things have changed.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

rcocean - well good for you. Sit it out -please.

Temujin said...

Ronna Romney McDaniel doing what she does best: Preparing to lose.

mikee said...

I remember when there was a conservative wing of the Democrat Party in the 1970s, kinda the equivalent of the current moderate wing of the Republican Party, except those guys actually made sense ideologically and didn't gain their fame destroying their party's goals.

The Republican Party has no purpose at the present time, as their most conservative members are idiots and their most moderate members are also idiots, both performing acts of political self-immolation in the name of self-importance, and nothing else.

Trump happened because the Republican Party was pointless and leaderless and the Democrats were abominable and led by abominations. What comes after Trump will be worse before getting any better. This Senate race doesn't matter at all.

mikee said...

I remember when there was a conservative wing of the Democrat Party in the 1970s, kinda the equivalent of the current moderate wing of the Republican Party, except those guys actually made sense ideologically and didn't gain their fame destroying their party's goals.

The Republican Party has no purpose at the present time, as their most conservative members are idiots and their most moderate members are also idiots, both performing acts of political self-immolation in the name of self-importance, and nothing else.

Trump happened because the Republican Party was pointless and leaderless and the Democrats were abominable and led by abominations. What comes after Trump will be worse before getting any better. This Senate race doesn't matter at all.

rehajm said...

Don’t bother. The Wisconsin kangaroo supremes will find a standinglachesmoot excuse to disqualify any qualified Republican opposition.

Political Junkie said...

Tammy Baldwin should be very beatable, IMO. Unfortunately, I predict an easy reelection.

Political Junkie said...

Agree with Doc. I still cant believe Ron won.

stlcdr said...

why should I care about Wisconsin? They should elect someone they think best represents themselves.

Clearly a naive point of view as the democrats will leverage that and push their nasty agenda by manipulating this situation.

tommyesq said...

Couldn't they just do an early primary so that the smoke has cleared before people really start thinking about the main vote?

Ann Althouse said...

“ why should I care about Wisconsin? They should elect someone they think best represents themselves”

I blog about it because I care and I am in Wisconsin. I just noticed that no one seems to be running for this seat that is up for election in 2024. I hadn’t heard of any candidates.

gilbar said...

one thing is For Sure..
IF Tammy doesn't win.. (at least some) democrats will blame "gerrymandering"

MadTownGuy said...

Ann Althouse said...

[“ why should I care about Wisconsin? They should elect someone they think best represents themselves”]

"I blog about it because I care and I am in Wisconsin. I just noticed that no one seems to be running for this seat that is up for election in 2024. I hadn’t heard of any candidates."

Have no fear; the DNC has a short list of straw candidates at hand. I hear Mehmet Oz is available.

Jim at said...

I remember when there was a conservative wing of the Democrat Party in the 1970s

Yep. Scoop Jackson and Dixy Lee Ray, to name just two. They'd be thrown out of the party today.

MadTownGuy said...

Mike said...

"...Trump happened because the Republican Party was pointless and leaderless and the Democrats were abominable and led by abominations. What comes after Trump will be worse before getting any better. This Senate race doesn't matter at all."

I've made the case that Trump was supposed to be a straw candidate. The DNC promoted Todd Akin in a Senate race in Missouri, which gave us Claire McCaskill. Even if you don't buy my assertion that Trump was a re-do of that effort (though you should), who's to say the Democrats in WI won't try the same strategy in this race?

Every Congressional race matters. I'm not in WI any more but I do have a stake in which party has a Congressional majority. You do too.

walter said...

Hard to beat Backbench Baldwin when she turns on that 'sconnie grrrl smile and mugs with a cow.
I'd take Hovde in a heartbeat,

Rich said...

In Wisconsin, the legislative boundaries are as big a deal as abortion. Since Walker, Republicans have managed to control 60% of the seats with less than 50% of the votes. The big question is whether the court with Protasiewicz would require a mid-decade redistricting. I suspect SCOTUS may not let them tamper with current congressional boundaries, but state legislative boundaries would be fair game.

Stick said...

Doesn't matter new leftist supreme court will make COVID voting permanent & Rs will never win another election in Wisconsin

The Elder said...

There doesn't have to be a "bloody" primary. Is it not possible in Wisconsin to field worthy candidates for a Republican primary who are willing to discuss the issues and promote themselves as being capable of meeting the challenges of the office without attacking one another? Or are the potential candidates waiting to be ordained as the "only suitable Republican candidate?"

iowan2 said...

The same way you don’t scam a bank if you apply for a $1,000,000 loan in order to buy a house valued at $750,000. The bank makes their own assessment and decides on the wisdom of the loan

When you gerrymander Black districts, they concentrate in the cities. 80% of a district votes D. Wasting lots of votes. You make your choices you live with the choices.