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Donald Trump’s revenge tour hit a snag in Virginia on Tuesday night time in the course of the state’s primaries.
The previous president had endorsed retired Navy SEAL John McGuire, a GOP state senator, and challenger to incumbent Bob Good after he dedicated the irredeemable sin of backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary.
Each Virginians had jostled for Trump’s approval and in a scene worthy of sitcom, showed up to Trump’s hush money trial on the same day in New York final month in an try to achieve it.
As of Wednesday morning, issues weren’t wanting nice for the MAGA candidate. McGuire had solely a 309-vote lead and the race remains too close to call – hardly the form of blowout {that a} Trump-backed candidate ought to get pleasure from, particularly in an space with tons of rural, deep pink pockets.
It’s a suprising consequence as the chances had appeared stacked in opposition to Good. Not solely was Trump in opposition to him however so was former Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy whose political action committee gave $10,000 to McGuire. That cash was payback for Good becoming a member of Matt Gaetz and 6 different Republicans in kicking out McCarthy as speaker again in October.
Good ought to have match the MAGA mould completely as he resembles most of the Tea Occasion hellraisers who dominated the conservative wing of the Home Republican convention, even earlier than Trump got here alongside.
He knocked off an incumbent Republican within the 2020 election, who had presided over a same-sex marriage ceremony. A yr afterward the Home flooring, Good mentioned: “Almost everything that plagues our society can be attributed to a failure to comply with God’s regulation and his guidelines for and definition of marriage and household.”
However Trump turned on him after he endorsed DeSantis. Good was also caught on video last year in a personal dialog saying that Trump might lose to Biden.
However the Good-McGuire contest reveals that Trump can not at all times decisively smite his perceived enemies, and oust them in favor of filling Republican ranks with acolytes.
It additionally seems {that a} sizeable variety of individuals in Good’s district like that he constantly holds Republican management to account. Removed from being punished for voting in opposition to Republican payments and inflicting gridlock the Home, Tuesday’s major exhibits loads of voters wish to reward his conduct by retaining him in Washington.
If Good in the end wins the first, he’s prone to hold the Home seat for Republicans in November. The non-partisan Prepare dinner Political Reportrates the seat as “Safe Republican.”
Whereas that’s excellent news for Home Republicans, a Good victory could be unhealthy information for Trump.
If Trump wins and Republicans management the Home, Good is not going to really feel the necessity to fall in line if he thinks he’s betraying conservative values. Good has constantly voted in opposition to Republican spending payments and even in opposition to giving help to Israel regardless of Republicans’ principally unwavering help.
Good values fiscal accountability and balanced budgets – conventional conservative values.
In a possible Trump administration, Good received’t fall in with the previous president if he thinks Trump’s spending payments will bust the price range.
However the Virginia congressman is in a dwindling quantity – even Republicans who as soon as complained about debt ceiling will increase, like Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, now vote debt restrict will increase with out consequence. Their fealty to Trump inoculates them from criticism. Conservatives who did care about fiscal values, and never for Trump’s grandstanding or election denial like Ken Buck in Colorado and Justin Amash in Michigan, are gone.
However Good’s valiant major combat exhibits there’s nonetheless a constituency for this sort of Republican.
And the shut contest exhibits {that a} Trump endorsement just isn’t an automated assure of victory. If Good someway pulls off a victory in Virginia, he may have appreciable leverage in opposition to Trump in a possible future administration. Now, he can at all times say that voters in Virginia’s fifth district most popular him even after Trump anointed a challenger.
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