The Primary Battles Represent MAGA vs. Establishment, Grassroots vs. Legacy
In Texas, Paxton has established himself as "America First", and Bush represents the political establishment. This thread runs through many of the races this Tuesday.
Another Tuesday, another set of primary races to see who dukes it out for the November 2022 ballot.
Each primary seems to ramp up the 2022 Midterm Elections energy, and the May 24 races in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Minnesota are bound to inject a power surge of magnitudinous proportions. So many political, regional, and cultural issues are being litigated and represented in the candidates, particularly the ones in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.
The Texas race is actually a runoff of establishment and political dynasty versus America First and political grit.
Fox News reports:
Paxton, who enjoys the backing of former President Donald Trump, is known nationally for trying to legally upend the 2020 presidential election results and for his aggressive actions in taking on President Biden’s administration in court. But he’s saddled with a slew of corruption allegations as he seeks a third four-year term as Texas attorney general.
Bush, twice elected to statewide office as Texas land commissioner, points to a recent survey that indicated he was closing the gap. Bush – who’s the last elected member of his family’s political dynasty – which over four generations has produced two presidents, a vice president, a senator, two governors and a congressman – stressed that "I fully intend to win on Tuesday."
One thing we do know: If P. Bush wins this race, he will only serve one term. This is a setup for 2024 national office, and for the Bush name to once again ride high in national politics.
Don’t doubt me.
Georgia is the other electric primary that will be popping things off. Since the 2020 Presidential Election to the 2021 Senate Runoffs, Georgia has been a political hot bed, and people like Stacey Abrams have only added fuel to the fire. When Georgia restructured its voting laws, Abrams led the charge about “voter suppression” and “minority disenfranchisement,” demanding that the Major League Baseball Association pull the All-Star game from Atlanta, which the dutiful dupes did.
Delta, Coca-Cola, and a number of other Atlanta-based companies came out against the voting laws, which cleanly passed the Georgia Legislature and was made law by Governor Brian Kemp. From the Georgia Secy of State data, the implementation of the laws seem to have rendered a smoother voting process for everyone. Here are the early voting numbers as of May 20:
Turnout Numbers Through May 20, 2022
Total Turnout: 857,401
Early In-Person: 795,567
Absentee: 61,744Republican: 483,149
Democrat: 368,949
Nonpartisan: 5,303New Turnout Since Previous Day: 147,264
Early In-Person Since Previous Day: 140,145
Absentee Since Previous Day: 7,119
All the hue and cry from Abrams, the Democrats and their useful idiots in the legacy media about Jim Crow 2.0, the horror that people will not be able to give water to voters in line, and the deprivation of voting centers in rural areas was just wind. Apparently, probably thanks to these laws, early voter turnout is up from 2018. Whether that is because people are afraid of “suppression” or just want to test out a more secure voting landscape, it really doesn’t matter. Up, is Up.
But it’s not just election integrity that’s on the ballot, but the candidates in the race. Herschel Walker appears to be leading the pack for the Republican Senate attempting to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Good Reverend is as shady and woke as they come, but has managed to escape scrutiny. We’ll see if Walker can pull out a primary win in order to give Warnock an actual challenge.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is on the Georgia ballot after a failed effort by “citizens” of her 14th Congressional District to disqualify her on the basis of her collusion in the Jan. 6 kerfuffle. As I stated with North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, let the voters decide who they do, or do not, want to represent them. These left-wing astroturf groups mounting attacks on GOP representatives is just more quelling of free speech and an effort circumvent voter integrity.
Then there is the Governor’s race, and polls are showing that Gov. Brian Kemp will probably float happily into a second term. Trump-endorsed challenger former Sen. David Perdue is still swinging, and Abrams is doing damage control over saying Georgia is great for business but horrible to live.
Kind of doesn’t make sense to bite the hand you want to feed you.
Not that Abrams needs any more feeding.
Compared to Texas and Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama seem procedural.
In Alabama, you have eight candidates who are trying to unseat incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey. But the big watch for the state is whether Rep. Mo Brooks at least makes it to a runoff for a Senate seat after Trump pulled his endorsement from the Congressman.
In Arkansas, Sen. John Bozeman is trying to fight off his rivalsz; NFL star and Iraq war veteran Jake Bequette, conservative activist Jan Morgan, and pastor Heath Loftis, who are all painting Bozeman as a RINO and planning to out-MAGA him. Bozeman has the endorsement of Trump, as well as fellow Sen. Tom Cotton, and candidate for governor Sarah Sanders.
The Senate race is tight, and many on the ground are predicting an upset.
The Minnesota ballot is to fill a seat vacated by Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn who died in February after a battle with cancer.
Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan, is apparently running for his seat, against two other establishment Republicans: State Rep. Jeremy Munson, and former State Rep. Brad Finstad. According to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, the race is not pretty.
Carnahan was forced out as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota last August after a prominent donor was indicted on child sex trafficking charges and former staffers complained of a toxic work environment. And she was sued by Hagedorn’s mother, stepfather and sister this month in a dispute over money they loaned to help cover his medical bills. But she’s painting herself as the best candidate to carry on her husband’s legacy — and Trump’s.
For some reason, Trump chose not to endorse anyone in this race. Guess even he has a limit on how much drama he’ll get involved in.