Great America Committee, a newly-formed PAC controlled by Vice President Mike Pence, has begun cutting checks to a number of Republican candidates for office in the 2018 midterms, Politico reports.
Representative Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN-07) Senate campaign is among those first recipients of the funds, along with some 36 other elected office hopefuls, many of whom have a long history of loyalty to the White House.
Via Politico:
The vice president is giving financial support to a slate of high-profile candidates that includes Missouri Senate hopeful Josh Hawley, Nevada gubernatorial contender Adam Laxalt, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is eyeing a potential Senate bid.
Not on the list: besieged Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is facing accusations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with teenagers when he was in his 30s.
Looking to reward those who have been loyal to the administration, Pence is wading into several prospective primaries. Among those getting checks are Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Senate hopeful who is facing a fight for the Republican nomination, and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso. Several potential Barrasso primary opponents have emerged, including investor Foster Friess and Blackwater founder Erik Prince.
“I am honored to have the support of such a great conservative leader like Vice President Mike Pence,” Rep. Blackburn told The Star.
“When the Vice President was in the House of Representatives, we worked together to protect innocent human life, and I am so pleased to see what a terrific leader he has been in the White House. We both are truly dedicated to supporting President Trump’s agenda,” Blackburn added.
The Trump administration’s support for Blackburn bodes well for her GOP primary prospects, where she faces former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) and Dr. Rolando Toyos.
“President Trump continues to have extremely high approval ratings in Tennessee among likely Republican primary voters, and carried 94 out of 95 counties in the GOP Presidential primary. So, most every Republican candidate in the state will be claiming to be more aligned with Trump than their opponents,” Steve Gill, conservative political strategist, pointed out.
“Claiming it is one thing, but money talks, and a check from Vice President Pence sends a very loud message of support that the Blackburn team will certainly amplify and repeat often,” Gill noted.
Bad example. The Republicans controlled redistricting in Tennessee after the last census so they packed as many Democrats as possible into Cooper’s district in Nashville and Cohen’s district in Memphis with the result that out of nine congressional districts the Republicans made it virtually impossible for the Democrats to win more than those two. After having brilliantly done so it would be a gigantic waste of time and money for Republicans to seriously run candidates for congress or mayor in the two districts they purposely packed full of Democrats.
A better example of the establishment’s disdain for conservatives is its recruitment of an obedient backbencher like Fincher and the rich uninteresting political neophytes to run against Green and Matheny and to inherit Tracy’s seat in the State Senate. That’s OK, so long as we conservatives unite to beat each and every one of them!
Face it. The TN Republican Party sees conservatism as the enemy more than Democrats.
They never even attempt to field candidates against Cooper or run for Nashville mayor.
I expected Marsha to be more conservative than she has turned out to be when she first ran for Congress. Nevertheless, she has a lifetime Heritage score of 80 and she is seeking to replace Corker who has a score of 56 while running against Fincher who has a 71 and a rich ophthalmologist who should not be running for the U.S. Senate at all. All conservatives have to do is not let the perfect fantasy be the enemy of the good reality and enthusiastically support Marsha.
No surprise that the sitting Vice President would support establishment candidates. That is his privilege. I just wish that a true outsider conservative could afford to run for his office.