MAGA 2022 candidates are ‘going RINO hunting’ as Trump’s war on the GOP establishment escalates

Republican activists are gunning for GOP incumbents in the 2022 primaries as Donald Trump seeks to solidify his grasp on the party following his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 campaign.

"These aren’t simple match-ups between Trump and anti-Trump forces, or isolated intraparty feuds. Safely ensconced Republican officeholders are being bombarded by challengers from coast to coast, in many cases spurred on by Trump directly. Redistricting and retirements have further scrambled the established order in many places, opening up seats and drawing fields filled with combative candidates eager to move the party in a different direction. Combine that with high levels of energy — and anger — in the party base, and it’s a recipe to remake the party from the ground up," Politico reported Thursday.

GOP strategist John Thomas noted how this cycle is different than past midterms.

“Primaries are always f*cked up to some degree, but it’s different now,” Thomas said. “There’s more self-hate than there was before."

READ: GOP lawmaker's 'grim and chilling' text message could be key to Jan. 6 probe: WaPo reporter

Ten years ago, we’d argue about who was more pro-gun, who was more pro-life. Now, my clients are going RINO hunting, which is a level of disdain that was not there before in our party," he explained.

Trump has already endorsed roughly 100 candidates.

"Much of the churn is due to forces unleashed by Trump. The defeated president’s iron grip on the party and level of involvement in midterm primaries is unprecedented in modern history, and he continues to advance his lie that the 2020 election was stolen," Politico reported. "Evidence of the party’s unrest is everywhere."

Read the full report.