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But even Republicans who didnt take that vote are running into stronger primary opposition than in the last midterm, the analysis shows. The average incumbent House Republican pulled 88 percent support in party primaries four years ago. Thats dropped this year to 75 percent for GOP members who didnt vote for the Jan. 6 commission and cratered to 62 percent for the incumbents who did back it.

Altogether, the numbers paint a portrait of an angry base sending a message to its ambassadors in Washington: Dont step out of line, or else.

Simply being an incumbent puts you in those crosshairs, said Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah).

POLITICOs analysis averaged results of all of the completed vote counts in House GOP primaries so far this year.

The current House Select Committee on Jan. 6, which has grabbed the spotlight with televised hearings this month, is not the commission that 35 House Republicans supported. That proposed investigative body died in the Senate, but that nuance is often lost on voters and ignored by opponents eager to exploit an angry GOP electorate looking to punish any whiff of disloyalty to Trump.

The irony is the commission that I voted for would have avoided this current commission, said Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), who won his primary but, with votes still being tallied, has less than 60 percent support from GOP voters. My challenger looks at this as an opportunity, thinking he can disingenuously persuade people otherwise. Its just not accurate.

Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) talks to supporters during a Utah Republican election night party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in South Jordan, Utah.|George Frey/AP Photo

Five of the 35 Republican members who voted for that investigation had primaries on Tuesday night. One, Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), prevailed after being forced into a runoff in which his opponent continued to weaponize the commission vote. Another, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), lost to Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) in a redistricting-created clash where Miller leaned heavily on Daviss Jan. 6 vote.

The stats for the commission voters are stark. Heading into Tuesdays primaries, more than half (eight out of 15) of the members who voted for the Jan. 6 commission got less than 60 percent of the vote in a GOP primary dangerous territory for an incumbent. For comparison: Of the 102 House Republicans who had GOP primaries earlier this year, only 15 of them fell under that threshold.

So far only three members who backed the commission have lost, all under additional difficult circumstances. One of them also voted to impeach Trump, and two others faced fellow incumbents in redistricting-fueled primaries.

But the specter of costly, months-long primaries and too-close-for-comfort winning margins, which dozens more House Republicans are facing this year, could ultimately deter others from bucking party orthodoxy or taking a tough vote of conscience in the future.

In TV ads, debates and mailers, challengers seized on the Jan. 6 commission vote to cast the incumbents as insufficiently conservative. Some were even inspired to launch bids because of the vote.

The perils of the vote were apparent from the start of the primary season. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Texas), one of the 35 Republicans to back the commission, drew several opponents for his March 1 primary and was ultimately forced into a runoff. (He announced plans to retire shortly after the primary, after admitting to an extramarital affair with the widow of a former member of ISIS.)

Every time I talked, [I] brought it up, said Keith Self, who won a runoff slot with Taylor and is now the GOP nominee.

It was the central point, Self said. There were other votes. There were other things. But that was a big one. I mean Ill admit that was a big one. It was a big meaningful one here in the district.

In Idaho, GOP Rep. Mike Simpson had to beat back a rematch from an attorney who previously ran against him in 2014 and launched a second bid zeroing in the commission vote. Simpson won with 55 percent, after spending nearly $1 million in the run-up to the primary.

Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) also faced another matchup with the same candidate he faced during his first run in 2014. He prevailed, but with less than 60 percent of the primary vote, a notable dip for the incumbent.

Some of the lower-than-usual victory margins could be ascribed to redistricting. Nearly all members inherited some new voters amid changes to the lines of their districts. But Democrats are also dealing with redistricting, and their average incumbents performance in party primaries hasnt shifted compared to the last midterm, holding steady at 90 percent.

Plus, many Republicans had only minor tweaks to their constituencies and at least one didnt see any change.

In South Dakotas at-large district, GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson got just under 60 percent after a serious primary challenge from state Rep. Taffy Howard, who took aim at the incumbent for backing the commission and for voting to certify the election results.

A pro-Howard super PAC went beyond Jan. 6 in its attacks on Johnson, running a spot warning that Johnson denies that the communists stole the election from President Trump.

I do think you see a lot more primaries, Johnson said. I think that there are so many disagreements within the Republican Party that people feel like they need to litigate those in primaries.

Dusty Johnson speaks during a news conference.|Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

But Johnson said he didnt regret any of his votes, either for the commission or to certify the election results.

Im a big believer in the Constitution thats generally an important characteristic of a Republican, Johnson said. A clear and plain reading of the Constitution is: Members of Congress will be witnesses to a ceremonial event, not super-judges.

Its not just Republicans who backed the Jan. 6 investigation that have had primary trouble.

Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) and William Timmons (R-S.C.) all got under 55 percent of the vote. None backed the commission, though Mace faced a Trump-endorsed challenger anyway.

They are very polarized, very angry, said Rep. Tom Cole, a former GOP campaign chief, of the electorate. So thats a high-risk time for an incumbent.

Every time I talked, [I] brought it up

Keith Self, who defeated Rep. Van Taylor (R-Texas) in a runoff.

Theres always a frustration when youre the minority, Cole said, adding that reality is often ignored. You can fight awfully hard, but youre still going to lose given the vote total.

In interviews, many of the GOP members said they were forced to repeatedly explain that the Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attacks is not the version of the investigation they supported. The proposal they backed would have been an independent commission modeled after the one that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with equal say for GOP members and not just Trump foes Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

But when that proposal died in the Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi unilaterally created a new committee. And after some partisan bickering, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy yanked all five of his picks from serving on the panel and refused to participate

That kind of distinction is often lost on voters.

When they hear what I voted for, theyre fine with it, said Curtis, who sailed through his Utah primary on Tuesday despite his support for the commission. But the assumption is that I voted for the one that were actually seeing right now, so it takes some explaining.

In Smiths New Jersey seat, the distortion was even greater. He said he was fielding constant questions from voters on why he voted to impeach Trump which he didnt. And he accused his opponent of spreading that falsehood.

Frankly, there were more lies in this race than I ever had in 23 races. I first ran in 78, Smith said in an interview after his primary.

His defeated GOP challenger, Mike Crispi, said he never accused Smith of that but added that voters were so angry at his Jan. 6 commission vote that they look at it as a third impeachment.

People are connecting a Jan. 6 vote to impeachment, I cant help that they do that, Crispi said. I cant help that they look at his record that is so left and then correlate it with being anti-Trump.

Crispi hasnt ruled out another challenge and he believes hes already had an impact on Smith, after receiving grateful calls and texts last week when the incumbent declined to support Congress new bipartisan gun safety package.

He definitely is voting more carefully, Crispi said. That gun control bill shows that were in his head because in any other circumstance, he would have voted yes on that.

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Republicans who backed Trump Jan. 6 probe face fierce backlash at the polls - POLITICO

Conservative Republican Geoff Diehls puzzling gubernatorial candidacy in deep blue Massachusetts is the longest of long shots but there could be a pathway to make the race more competitive.

Diehl is counting on an expected national red wave to spill over into the liberal Bay State, forging a race out of what most Democrats and others are already certain is a coronation for Attorney General Maura Healey.

The former state rep, carrying an endorsement from Donald Trump, needs to win over conservative Democrats and independents in heavily Democratic Massachusetts to have any chance.

And its been done before. Voters here dont always follow the cookie-cutter script. Look at what happened to home state favorite Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary.

And before that, from Scott Brown to Mitt Romney to Charlie Baker, Republicans have won statewide by cobbling together a coalition of disaffected Dems and right-leaning independents to stun the favored and usually overconfident Democratic nominee.

What was it about Brown that propelled him to his stunning victory over Martha Coakley? Something was bubbling up in the Massachusetts electorate that no one predicted. And Romney who was branded as conservative in his gubernatorial bid managed to defeat Democrat Shannon OBrien despite Romneys ties to Utah.

But can Diehl really find the Republican magic sauce to take down Healey, who is in such a commanding position that not even another Democrat is willing to take her on?

Trumps endorsement will help Diehl beat his little known GOP opponent, Chris Doughty, in the primary but it could be a double-edged sword in the general election turning off Democrats who might be inclined to take a look at Diehl.

But there are other factors that could weigh in Diehls favor as he looks to be the latest Republican to win a gubernatorial race.

Healeys lack of a Democratic opponent could actually be a detriment in the general election, leaving her with no momentum that winning primary candidates generally get.

Democrats, looking at polls showing Healey clobbering Diehl in a general election matchup, could easily get arrogant and complacent again after a non-contested primary. Theyve done it before.

Healey has run a safe yet lackluster campaign so far because she has no opponent. Can she rev up her supporters for an opponent shes assumed to overwhelm?

Diehl is also latching himself onto the effort to repeal the Democratic bill giving drivers licenses to Massachusetts residents without legal status.

And hes also hooked up with Republicans who are trying to give motorists a tax break on gasoline an issue that could have resonance even in liberal Massachusetts.

Diehl is also counting on the mood of the country shifting away from Democrats in the midterm elections. Even in San Francisco and Los Angeles, liberals have been upset this year.

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Battenfeld: Does Republican Geoff Diehl have the secret formula to make the governors race competitive? - Boston Herald

Across party lines, politicians had very different reactions to the fall of Roe v. Wadelast Friday. One Utah Republican state representatives reaction of choice was simply rape apologia.

I got a text message today saying I should seek to control mens ejaculations and not womens pregnancies, state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee said at a celebratory news conference last week. I do trust women enough to control when they allow a man to ejaculate inside of them and to control that intake of semen.

Lisonbees comments rightfully drew a wave of backlashincluding Esquire calling them really ickyas many noted the disrespectful connotations for survivors who are impregnated by rape. The notion that women and people with uteruses can simply opt to not get pregnant by deploying witchcraft to control that intake of semen amounts to a level of victim-blaming we havent seen since Todd Akins 2012 legitimate rape statement. Lest you bleached your brain of the memory of Akins words, the late Republican US Senate candidate claimed victims of legitimate rape have the god-given power to simply not get pregnant, to justify banning abortion without rape exceptions.

In the wake of this backlash, Lisonbee semi-walked back her statement on Saturday, clarifying to the Salt Lake Tribune that women do not have a choice when they are raped and have protections under Utahs trigger law. To access those protections, of course, theyll have to report and prove their rape to state authorities.

But at no point did Lisonbee explicitly apologize for her words. My first statement in the press conference made clear the actions I have taken to pass bills that provide legal protection and recourse to victims of sexual assault, she said. The political and social divide in America seems to be expanding at an ever-faster pace. I am committed to ongoing respectful and civil engagement. I can always do better and will continue to try.

Icky as Lisonbees celebratory post-Roe comments were, Im still thinking about them and how infuriatingly unsurprising they are. Ten years after legitimate rape, Roe is gone, and Republicans are still the party of Todd Akin.

This sort of depravity from anti-abortion politicians seems to be so normalized even Democrats are willing to write it off as simply misspeaking. Angela Romero, a Utah Democrat whos reportedly worked on bills on sexual assault, came to Lisonbees defense, telling the Tribune this week that she didnt think Lisonbee intentionally meant to be harmful, and that we just have to be sensitive to how we phrase things.

Of course, anti-abortion lawmakers arent just insensitively phrasing their disdain for rape survivors. In recent months, Jezebel has reported on a Michigan Republican candidate who said hed told his daughters, If rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it. An Ohio Republican in the state legislature called pregnancy from rape an opportunity. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) last year justified the lack of rape exception in Texas six-week abortion ban by claiming he would simply eliminate rape by ramping up policingand we all know how great police are at handling sexual assaults!!

This utterly depraved language mirrors Republicans policies, too: Of the handfulsof abortion bans state legislatures have passed this year, few have exceptions for rapeand very few of the state trigger laws that took effect with the fall of Roe have rape exceptions, too. Anti-abortion lawmakers have become increasingly shameless on this issue. They once had to pretend to care about victims, to disavow politicians like Akin, and at least theoretically give those pesky, impregnated rape victims a chance to prove their trauma in exchange for health care. But today, with the Supreme Court and a majority of state legislatures in their control, they can say the quiet part out loud.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) admitted earlier this week that the states total abortion ban, which took effect when Roe was overturned and lacks a rape exception, could force rape survivors as young as 13 to carry their rapists babies, and he acknowledged the depravity of this. But he also refused to do anything about it. I would prefer a different outcome than that, but thats not the debate today in Arkansas. It might be in the future, but for now, the law triggered with only one exception ... in the case of the life of the mother.

I cant emphasize enough that rape exceptions to abortion bans are almost worthless in practice, because the majority of victims dont report their rapes. Nonetheless, anti-abortion lawmakers once used this exemption to present their abortion bans as compromises, to further abortion stigma by presenting some abortions as acceptable, and the rest as frivolous and bad. If there were any real concerns about gender-based violence, abortion wouldnt be banned, with or without exceptionsnot when being denied abortion care places someone at greater risk of domestic violence, and the top cause of death for pregnant people is homicide, often from abusive partners. Abortion bans are gender-based violence, with added trauma for sexual assault survivors.

So, when you hear Republicans like Lisonbee claim you can simply control that intake of semen, or any other outlandish, victim-blaming statements against abortion, know these arent just words or isolated incidents. This may as well be the GOP party platform.

Continue reading here:
I'm Still Thinking About That Utah Republican Saying Women Can Control Intake of Semen' - Jezebel

Googles practice of filtering Republican campaign emails into spam filters cost the party $2 billion in donations since 2019, GOP lawmakers and the head of the Republican National Committee said.

Republicans made the calculation based on a North Carolina State University study that found Google, the nations largest email platform, flagged more Republican campaign emails as spam than Democratic emails during the 2020 election season, and ended up sending as few as 32% of GOP emails to inboxes.

Big Tech has been silencing conservative voices and actively working against Republicans for multiple cycles, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott and National Republican Campaign Committee Chair Tom Emmer said in a joint statement.

Googles email suppression which affects the GOPs fundraising and GOTV efforts is another egregious example. Silicon Valley oligarchs are suppressing free political speech, they said in the statement.

Google denies filtering spam for political purposes and said email users can set their preferences to prevent the campaign messages from ending up in the spam folder.

The North Carolina State University study, released in March, found Outlook and Yahoo filtered more Democratic emails into spam folders.

House and Senate Republicans earlier this year introduced legislation that would ban Google and other email platforms from filtering campaign emails, part of an overall effort to crack down on Big Tech censorship that they believe targets the GOP.

Republican conservative candidates raised $737 million on Republican fundraising platform WinRed from Gmail users in 2019 and 2020, Republicans reported in a complaint filed earlier this year with the Federal Election Commission.

We estimate Republicans accordingly missed out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle and over $2 billion since 2019, the RNC said in the statement.

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Republicans say Google spam filter cost them $2 billion from donors - Washington Times

Jerry Springer| Sarasota Herald-Tribune

It's frightening to realize how close our country came to losing our democracy because of former President Donald Trump and his insurrectionist minions.

But here' s what may be even more frightening: We no longer have two major political parties that are committed to ensuring that America stays a democracy.

These arenot the ravings of an incurable partisan, though I do admit that all things being equal, I do mark my ballot for Democrats. But, of course, all things arent equal these days. So my critique about the Republican Party,which was once fondly knownas the "Grand Old Party,"is an honest attempt at offering some objective observations.

And here's one very objective observation: While we still havetwo major political parties that are fiercely battling and contesting each other, only one of them is doing sowhile displaying a deep love for democracy in our country. And it's not the Republican Party.

MyRepublican friends and, yes I do have some always modify their declarations of being Republicans by saying, Yes, Trumps a whacko. And, yes,there are some extremists, racists and Proud Boys in our party. But ourparty's basic principles conservatism, limited government and low taxes for corporations and the wealthy are still worth believing in and supporting."

But is that really what todays Republican Party stands for?

Consider this. A near-majority of Republicans still believe President Joe Biden didn't win the 2020 election. And they still believe that Biden's victory by slightly more than7 million votes should be overturned simply because the loser wants to keep insistinghe was the real winner,even though he has provided absolutely no evidence to back up his endless complainingabout fraudulent voting

Is this how we show our love for our country? Or for America's democracy?

And, no, we're not talking about just about afringe segment of Republicans, In fact, the Texas Republican Party recently approveda platform suggestingthat if there any federal laws that Texas happens to dislike, they should just "be ignored, opposed, refused and nullified. It also declares hatTexas "retains the right to secede from the United States," and urgesthestate Legislature to give Texansa chance to vote on a secession referendum.

Of course, this was tried back in the 19th century and it didn'twork out so well. But apparently the Republicans in Texas think it's worth another try in the 21st century.

Once again, this is not merely a fringe group: thisis the official TexasRepublican Party, which is one ofthe largest state parties in America. And, by the way, in addition to secession the party is also in favor of:

As uncomfortable as it is to admit, todays Republican Party does not stand up for American democracy and it does not unequivocally support that principle, either. It isnow clearly in favor of making America an undemocratic theocracy, and those who long for the Republican Party that once existed had better stop their daydreaming. It islong gone, and it isnot coming back.

Jerry Springer is a longtime nationally syndicated television talk show host who resides in Sarasota. Springerhas a law degree from Northwestern University and served one term asthe mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.He is the host of "The Jerry Springer Podcast."

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Jerry Springer: The Republican Party used to be reasonable. Not anymore - Sarasota Herald-Tribune