'Gotta do smart thing, right?' Controversial MAGA candidate mulls ditching Congress bid

Controversial Ohio congressional candidate J.R. Majewski has announced he is considering dropping out of the race just ahead of early voting in the Republican primary.

Speaking to Politico, Majewski said he was seriously considering dropping out but hadn't made a decision yet, but has told people “what they want to hear” to keep them “at bay” while he pondered his decision.

“I’m being asked by some people to drop out,” Majewski said. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do yet.”

He acknowledged that previous disparaging comments he made about the Special Olympics may have hurt his standing in the race. He also told Politico that he had spoken with Donald Trump's team about job opportunities in a potential Trump administration.

With three weeks to go until the March 19 primary, it's not clear when Majewski will make his final decision.

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According to Politico, an exit by Majewski would be good news to House GOP strategists who thought his bid was a threat to a GOP majority.

Majewski's 2022 bid for Congress was derailed after it was discovered that he lied about his military service. He had claimed to be a combat veteran who carried out missions in Afghanistan, when he actually was loading aircraft at a base in Qatar. He also claimed to have been demoted a rank for getting into a fight in the barracks, when it was actually due to a DUI arrest while serving in Japan.

“If my comments put me in a position where I can’t win the general election then I gotta do the smart thing, right?” Majewski told Politico.

"Party strategists were banking on former Ohio state Rep. Craig Riedel to block Majewski from the nomination. Then audio leaked late last year of him calling Trump “arrogant” and vowing to refrain from endorsing him. That revelation caused panic among Republicans who feared Riedel would not be able to win a primary filled with Trump supporters — but that Majewski would not be able to win a general election," Politico's report stated.

Read the full report over at Politico.