Still licking the wounds from being unable to take control of the U.S. Senate in the 2020 midterms, the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has vowed to intercede at the state level so the party is not saddled with extremist candidates in the general election in 2024.
While House Republicans eked out a slim majority of five seats when the so-called "red wave" failed to materialize, Senate Republicans went backward, losing the seat that once belonged to Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) to Sen. John Fetterman (D), who faced off against Donald Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz.
With Oz failing to win, coupled with the GOP inability to land what was considered a winnable Senate seat representing Georgia because the GOP nominee was scandal-plagued Hershel Walker, the GOP leadership plans to be much more active in the future when it comes to shepherding their preferred candidates through the primaries.
According to an Associated Press report written by Brian Slodysko, "Republican Senate primaries in several pivotal states last year exuded a carnival-like aura, dominated by far-right candidates whose ill-advised remarks and damaging personal baggage ultimately cost the party its chance of retaking a majority. But even as alarms sounded over a growing crisis of electability, party leaders mostly stood by, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the Senate GOP’s campaign chief, who insisted on remaining neutral in the nominating contests."
Scott's replacement on the committee, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) claims a repeat of the 2022 debacle will not occur on his watch.
"One thing I kept hearing when I took this job was that Republicans are sick and tired of losing,” Daines admitted, “This is our last chance this decade to target red-state Democrats, so we’re going to do whatever it takes to recruit candidates who can win both a primary and general election.”
According to AP's Slodysko, the GOP leadership will be much more assertive with endorsements and money -- something Scott failed to do -- which should allow them to head off extremists in the primaries.
That is, the report states, if they can neutralize former president Donald Trump who had a major hand in 2022's failures.
"Trump, who remains a potent force in GOP politics, was largely successful pushing a slate of far-right candidates in marquee Senate primaries last year. With his third bid for the White House now underway, it’s unclear whether he intends to do the same in 2024," The AP report states. "Beyond recruiting candidates, the NRSC also plans to conduct media training. In some cases it intends to stay out of primaries in which its involvement could become a liability. It also plans to lend fundraising assistance, help candidates build out their infrastructure and keep tabs on whether its candidates are running competent digital operations."
According to Steven Law, CEO of the Senate Leadership Fund, "We need people running who can win. We’re raising the resources to ensure we have quality candidates.”
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