If you thought it was just the presidential primary that was creating nightmares for the Republican Party, think again. Not only are Republicans in the position of having to defend 24 Senate seats this November, they also have a whole bevy of incumbents facing primary challengers. Now odds are that none of these incumbents will lose in the primary, but it still forces them to spend money, time, and resources beating back these challengers. And worse—if you’re a Republican—it prevents them from pivoting to general election mode. Put another way? It forces endangered Republican senators to spend the next several months appeasing their rabid base.
Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire will spend their summers under attack by underfinanced tea party opponents. In Nevada, the reemergence of Sharron Angle — who infamously blew a chance to defeat Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid in 2010 — means the GOP’s hand-picked candidate for the open seat, Rep. Joe Heck, has a fight on his hands to get to the general election. And Republicans also are fretting over primaries in Colorado, Indiana and Florida, as well as the fate of a former leader of their campaign arm.
So picture it … as the weeks pass (and more and more people are paying closer attention to politics), endangered Republican senators will face questions about blocking a qualified Supreme Court nominee, explain why they support discrimination or whatever pre-Civil War policy the next red state comes up with, not to mention being forced to deal with the day-to-day nightmare of the crap spewing from Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. None of this will be a problem when dealing with the mouth-breathers that vote in Republican primaries, but come November? It could be a big problem for Republicans hoping to hang on to their fragile Senate majority. And a major boon to Democrats.
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