Popular vote loser Donald Trump has his mini-fingers all over Arizona’s 2018 Senate race, mostly because Republican incumbent Jeff Flake has not sufficiently genuflected before His Orangeness, even daring to write nasty things about Trumpism in his recent book. Even though Flake votes with Trump almost 100 percent of the time, after Donnie Tic Tac’s rally before a not “packed house” in Phoenix this August, he tweeted:
The house was so packed Trump fired the organizer.
Bannon, Hannity and other GOP bomb tossers are backing former Arizona legislator Kelli Ward in the Republican senate primary, a move that’s likely to create a shitstorm in the party and, if Ward is the GOP candidate, hand the seat to her Democratic opponent.
In 2016, Ward opposed Sen. McCain in the GOP primary, collecting endorsements from crazies like the Oath Keepers, whose founder said McCain should be “hung by the neck until dead.” Ward and goober nation were never reluctant to throw around the word “traitor” to describe McCain, a train wreck of a politician but a legitimate military hero, regardless of 5-Deferment Cheeto’s definition of hero.
There’s the modern Republican party for ya, Kelli Ward’s party—attacking former POWs and Gold Star families. Ward lost her primary against McCain by more than 15 points, then immediately said she’d take on Arizona’s unpopular junior senator in 2018, one of two senate races in 2018 (Nevada’s Dean Heller the other).
Jeff Flake is no John McCain, but he hails from a well-known Mormon family that’s been active in Arizona politics for decades, and few of the LDS persuasion will be swayed by Ward's ugly, racist, mean-spirited conspiratorial BS. That being said, polls show Kelli Ward leading McConnell’s pick Jeff Flake by a lot, but with Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema entering the race, the seat is now considered a tossup if Ward is the GOP candidate.
Kelli Ward is a despicable propellerhead—no doubt one reason Trump wants her in the US Senate. Exploiting a dying man’s illness, she recently said Sen. McCain should resign because he has brain cancer, and then Gov. Ducey should appoint her to the open seat—something McCain, who detests Ward, would never agree to. Even supporters thought Ward’s vile proposal smelled, but it’s of a piece.
As a state senator Ward opposed Gov. Brewer’s expansion of Medicaid coverage, eventually sponsoring a measure that would limit healthcare for hundreds of thousands of poor families—the most restrictive program in the nation. During Cliven Bundy’s standoff with federal agents, she visited the criminal’s compound to cheer on his grandstanding. She’s sought support from White Nationalists and anti-Semites, and she earned her “Chemtrail Kelli” reputation after using taxpayer money to hold a public meeting so pinhead conspiracy nuts could rant. Speaking of conspiracies, Ward’s been a favorite guest down in Alex Jones’ radio sewer. A loud supporter of Trump’s hateful agenda, she of course wants to “pull Obamacare out by the roots” and build a border wall. She’s friggin’ nuts.
All of the hate, bigotry, conspiracy mongering and screwball ideas add up to what political observer Larry Sabato calls a “nightmare candidate” for the GOP. “She’s Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle and Todd Akin all wrapped into one,” he said.
… Ward is drawing comparisons to past conservative “tea party” challengers such as Sharron Angle of Nevada, Christine O'Donnell of Delaware, Todd Akin of Missouri and Richard Mourdock of Indiana, who won Senate primaries but lost seats that more moderate Republicans might have been able to win.
Steve Bannon, Laura Ingraham, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth and other fringe-worthy nativists brought their dogwhistle tour to Scottsdale last week to pump up the Ward fanatics.
Bannon said the “open revolt” he is leading against McConnell and the GOP establishment is already succeeding, citing incumbent U.S. Sen. Luther Strange's defeat in Alabama’s Republican runoff and Trump critic U.S. Sen. Bob Corker’s decision to retire instead of face a possible Republican primary challenge in Tennessee.
Alrighty then, and no one is more appreciative of bigot Roy Moore’s victory over Luther Strange than Democrat Doug Jones who, even in deep red Alabama, is tied with his Republican theocratic challenger—a seat Luther Strange probably would have taken handily.
Likewise, I don’t imagine too many people are rooting more for the “nightmare” candidate’s victory over Jeff Flake than Kyrsten Sinema. Although current polls show Rep. Sinema leading Flake by a wider margin than Kelli Ward, once the campaign begins and Ward’s record becomes an issue, if not the issue, it’s less likely establishment Republicans will come home to her,* especially since Rep. Sinema is so blue doggy she’ll attract moderate Rs unwilling to hold their nose and jump into the abyss.
*see “Sharron Angle”