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CARROLL, Ia. Former Vice President Mike Pence lauded three of Iowas prominent Republican leaders in a visit to the state Saturday and lambasted Democrats and the Biden administration over a number of issues that could be key to election success later this year.

Its amazing to think how far our country has fallen in just 15 months, Pence told delegates and others who gathered at the Republican 4th Congressional District convention in Carroll. Joe Biden has done more damage to America in his first year and a half than any president in my lifetime. The good news is, despite all the setbacks weve seen in the last year and a half, the Republican Party is fighting back all across America and all across Iowa.

Pence, who ended his tenure with former President Donald Trump at odds over the validity of the 2020 election they lost, touted the former administrations role in packing the federal court system including the U.S. Supreme Court with conservative judges, backing abortion foes and reinforcing the strongest military in the history of mankind.

Pence said he was invited to the Saturday event by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, the first-term congressman who represents the district, who Pence said has won admirers around America for his integrity, faith and conservative ideas.

On U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Pence said: When I was president of the Senate, there was no more-courageous or principled conservative in the United States Senate than Sen. Chuck Grassley.

And Pence said Gov. Kim Reynolds is one of the most important conservative voices in our nation today.

Pence, Feenstra and Grassley touched on several topics that are poised to factor heavily in Republicans bids to retake control of the House and Senate this fall.

Some were perennial issues such as immigration You cant be a sovereign nation if you have open borders, Grassley said and gun rights.

Others were new. Pence and Feenstra cited conservative battles against the radical lefts agenda in regard to school curriculum about racism and conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. Pence credited the issue for recent Republican gains in Virginia.

Parents are rising up and taking their schools back, Pence said.

They also knocked Biden for recent inflation and high fuel prices. Feenstra said we can be energy independent right here in Iowa with our biofuels, and Pence rebuffed Bidens efforts to blame fuel prices on Russias invasion of Ukraine: Its the war on energy that is driving up gasoline prices, and we gotta bring it to an end.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn, in a call with reporters on Friday, criticized the Trump administration for tax cuts that were too favorable for wealthy people and for investing too little in infrastructure such as bridges, roads and broadband internet networks.

Mike Pence cant rewrite his role in the disastrous Trump-Pence administration, Wilburn said.

Grassley did not shy away from his affiliation with Trump on Saturday and highlighted his role in blocking former President Barack Obamas final Supreme Court nomination.

Together, President Trump and I cemented a conservative 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, Grassley said.

Read more here:
Pence in Iowa: A glimpse at the Republican election strategy - Iowa Capital Dispatch

GRAND RAPIDS, MI The Michigan Republican Party has picked its endorsements for statewide races like attorney general, secretary of state, state board of education and more ahead of the 2022 general election.

Over 2,000 GOP delegates from around the state gathered in Grand Rapids on Saturday, April 23, for the Michigan Republican Party Convention, where they selected the partys unofficial nominees for nearly every race except for governor and U.S. senator.

State law has parties select their own candidates for attorney general, secretary of state and a handful of other races by holding a vote among party insiders. Meanwhile, the governor, Congress and Legislature races are all narrowed down via an August primary election.

The endorsements still need to be reaffirmed with an official party vote in August, but now the Michigan Republican Party can start rallying around specific candidates for each race and begin campaigning and fundraising for their fight against the Democrats.

RELATED: Why Michigan voters dont get to choose who will face Nessel, Benson

Candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump fared well at Saturdays convention. The GOP ended up endorsing several of Trumps picks, including Kristina Karamo for Secretary of State and Matthew DePerno for Attorney General.

The candidates endorsed at the convention will likely be pitted against incumbent Democrats Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in Novembers general election.

The Michigan Democratic Party selected its endorsements earlier this month, mostly endorsing incumbent candidates. Like the Republicans, the Democratic Party still needs to solidify its endorsements in August.

RELATED: Jocelyn Benson, Dana Nessel, others snag endorsements from the Michigan Democratic Party

During the second round of voting on Saturday afternoon, there was some confusion among delegates about the order of the candidates on the ballot, leading the party to have to temporarily halt voting at one point.

Officials said the order that candidates were listed in on the ballot was different than a description of the candidate list displayed on a giant screen near the voting area. The mix-up led some delegates to confuse the section for attorney general and the section for the MSU board of trustees, several delegates later told reporters.

But elections officials say they dont believe the mix-up ultimately had an impact on the results of the votes.

The reason we stopped the vote was to investigate and bring both campaigns on and ask if they believe this is going to ultimately change the result or create any issues, party spokesperson Gustavo Portela said. Neither campaign thought that was the case. And along with the chairman, they all ultimately decided to continue and proceed.

There was no issue and we just continued to resume voting.

The party announced the results of elections at 8 p.m., three hours later than scheduled. Many delegates left the convention before the results were even tallied.

Below is a list of the candidates endorsed by the Michigan Republican Party this weekend, and who their Democratic opponents will most likely be ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.

Attorney General

Trump-endorsed attorney Matthew DePerno received the Republican Partys endorsement for Attorney General on Saturday, beating out Tom Leonard and Ryan Berman. DePerno, who attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, won about 54% of the vote on Saturday.

Berman joined forces with Leonard for the second round of voting, urging his delegates to back Leonard. The second round of voting was a close race between DePerno and Leonard, a race viewed as the outsider versus the establishment, respectively.

Trump congratulated DePerno and his other endorsement, Kristina Karamo, in a statement Saturday before the vote count was even finished.

They will go on to big victories for Attorney General and Secretary of State. I will back them strongly, Trump said in a statement. Michigan is one of the worst on Election Fraud and corruption, and they will put an end to it. At the same time, theyll get to the bottom of the 2020 Election Fraud!

DePerno is now vying to run against Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel for Michigan Attorney General. Nessel is seeking reelection to a second, four-year term, after first being elected to office in 2018.

RELATED: Matt DePerno Trumps pick wins Republican endorsement for Michigan attorney general

Secretary of State

GOP delegates endorsed Karamo as the partys pick for Secretary of State ahead of the general election. Karamo, a community college professor from Oak Park, has also been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

A political newcomer in her first campaign for statewide office, Karamo works as a professor at Wayne County Community College, where she teaches public speaking and college orientation, according to her campaign website.

Karamo beat out state Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry for the partys nomination. Karamo earned 67% of the vote, meaning they did not have to go into a second round of voting. LaFave had 19% of the vote and Berry had 13%.

Karamo would face Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State in the general election. Benson is seeking reelection to a second, four-year term, after first being elected to office in 2018.

RELATED: Kristina Karamo lands GOP Secretary of State endorsement to face Jocelyn Benson in November

Michigan Supreme Court (two seats)

Brian Zahra and Paul Hudson were the two Republican candidates vying for party endorsements for two open seats on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Zahra is an incumbent seeking his second term on the Supreme Court. He was first elected for a partial term in November 2021, and he was re-elected in November 2014 for a full, eight-year term. Hudson is an appellate lawyer who has served as lead counsel in over 150 cases in the Michigan appeals courts, according to his website.

The two Republicans are vying to face the Democratic Partys endorsements, Justice Richard Bernstein and State House Representative Kyra Harris Bolden, in the general election.

State Board of Education (two seats)

Linda Lee Tarver and Tamara D. Carlone received the GOPs two endorsements for the state Board of Education. The seats are eight-year terms. Tarver and Carlone beat Michelle Frederick, a special needs activist, and former board member Richard Zeile for the endorsements.

Tarver is a former Michigan Civil Rights Commissioner and election integrity liaison with the Michigan Department of State. Shes also a businesswoman, a parent advocate and community activist for education, according to her website.

Carlone is an education activist and a founding board member for the Michigan chapter of United States Parents involved in Education.

The two Republican endorsements are vying to face Democrats Pamela Pugh and Mitchell Robinson in the general election. Pugh is seeking reelection for a second term and Robinson, following 40-year teaching career, is seeking a first term on the board.

University of Michigan Board of Regents (two seats)

Lena Epstein and Sevag Vartanian received the Republican Partys endorsements for the University of Michigan Board of Regents. They beat Andrea Fischer Newman, who previously served on the board and was backed by Trump, and Lauren Hantz, who conceded from the race before the second vote.

Epstein is a business owner from Detroit and was joined on Saturday by Trumps former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who took to the stage in support of Epstein.

Vartanian works in the financial sector and runs a boutique asset management firm, Vartanian Capital Management, according to his website.

The Democratic Party endorsed incumbents Kathy White and Mike Behm for the University of Michigan Board of Regents. White, elected in 1998, is seeking a fourth term, while Behm was first elected to the board in 2014.

Michigan State University Board of Trustees (two seats)

Travis Menge and Mike Balow were endorsed by the Republican Party for two seats on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

Menge received over 40% of the vote in the first round of voting, meaning he automatically earned the endorsement, and Balow earned 74% of the vote in the second round, beating Melanie Foster.

Rick Wendorf withdrew from the race due to health issues, Weiss announced before the voting started.

Menge lives in Grand Rapids and works as a clinical professor in MSUs School of Medicine. Balow served as a naval officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years.

The two Republican endorsements are facing the Democratic Partys endorsements, Renee Knake Jefferson and Dennis Denno. Jefferson, appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, is running for a second term. Denno is seeking his first term.

Wayne State University Board of Governors (two seats)

Craig Wilsher and Christa Murphy were the two Republican candidates vying for party endorsements for two open seats on the Wayne State Board of Governors. Wilsher is a former law enforcement officer and an adjunct college professor, according to his campaign website.

The Democratic party endorsed Marilyn Kelly and Danielle Atkinson for the Wayne State Board of Governors. Kelly served 16 years on the Michigan Supreme Court and is now seeking her second term on the Board of Governors. Atkinson is seeking her first term.

More on MLive:

A test of Trumps influence: What to expect from the Michigan Republican Convention

10 Republicans file to run for Michigan governor, prompting largest primary ever

Heres whos running for Congress in your Michigan district

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Meet the Republican partys endorsements vying for offices in the 2022 general election - MLive.com

The interruption was unplanned but Joe Biden immediately knew this was no ordinary heckler. I agree! he told a babbling baby as the audience laughed. I agree completely. By the way, kids are allowed to do anything they want when I speak so dont worry about it.

It was a welcome note of light relief during a speech that could not be described as blockbuster television. Beside a blue sign that said Building a Better America, perched on a white boat at the New Hampshire Port Authority in Portsmouth, the US president was last week trying to gin up enthusiasm about infrastructure investment and supply chains.

Bidens choice of state was telling: Democratic senator Maggie Hassan faces New Hampshire voters in November as she seeks a second term in elections that will decide the control of Congress. And not for the first time, there are fears the Democrats have a messaging problem.

The party does have a story to tell about the creation of 7.9 million jobs more over his first 14 months in office than any president in history along with progress against the coronavirus pandemic, the passage of a $1tn bipartisan infrastructure law, diverse judicial appointments and leading the Nato alliance against Russias Vladimir Putin.

But opinion polls suggest this could be overwhelmed by Republicans characteristically blunt and visceral campaign targeting 40-year high inflation, rising crime, immigration at the Mexico border and culture wars over abortion, transgender rights and how race is taught in schools.

Hearts beats charts, said John Zogby, an author and pollster. Very simply, look at the Democrats whove won the presidency: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden. Contrast the obvious empathy and real-life stories with Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton.

Its the ability to tell a story that relates to all Americans. All of which is to suggest that Republicans will tell stories that matter and Democrats will show statistics.

The stakes this time could hardly be higher: the Senate is currently split 50-50, while Democrats can afford to lose only three seats in the House of Representatives if they want to retain control. Given the headwinds typically faced by the presidents party in midterms, Republicans believe both chambers are within their grasp.

Such an outcome could turn Biden into a lame-duck president, able to do little more than issue executive orders and veto legislation, while empowering congressional Republicans to launch investigations into his son, Hunter Biden, and other foes while paving the way for the return of the former president, Donald Trump.

The polls look bleak for Democrats. Last month, NBC News found that 46% of registered voters prefer a Republican-controlled Congress while 44% want Democrats in charge the first time Republicans have led in this survey since September 2014.

Inflation fears dominate, according to online focus groups run last week by Navigator Research with swing voters in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin. They found that presenting economic facts only modestly moves the needle and pervasive inflation concerns outweigh job creation.

A North Carolina woman who took part said of the economy: So you can tell me its doing great but if Im struggling to buy groceries and gas and will be out of a job in two months, that to me is saying no, its not really doing that great.

Biden has attempted to shift blame for rising fuel costs to Putins price hike but with limited success. His public approval rating stands at 43%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with disapproval of his job performance at 51%.

Democrats four most-endangered Senate incumbents Hassan of New Hampshire, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada duly seem to be distancing themselves from the president, for example by visiting the southern border and criticising his plan to lift a pandemic-era restriction there known as Title 42.

Biden, touring the country and refocusing on domestic concerns after two months dominated by Ukraine, wants to convince voters that investing in roads and bridges is a major accomplishment after years of unfulfilled promises from his predecessor. But most of the benefits will not be felt for years and even the word infrastructure tends to land with a thud.

There are further worries that the Democratic base, including many voters of colour, will stay at home on election day, disenchanted by the partys failure to get gun safety, police reform and voting rights legislation through Congress. Biden no longer uses the phrase Build Back Better and is struggling to salvage parts of that plan to address the climate crisis.

Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center thinktank in Washington, said: The difficulty that Democrats have is that a message that would energise the base is not one that resonates with the centre. The swing voter doesnt prioritise voting rights, climate change, big expansion of spending. They want much more pedestrian things and Democrats have not yet figured out how to have a narrative that combines both.

Republicans have the luxury of opposition, Olsen added. When you dont have the power to be for anything, its easier to be against something and thats what youre going to see: Biden inflation, Biden weakness, Biden liberalism, Biden socialism.

They will try to paint the Democratic party as a whole with its left wing but, by and large, they will attack Biden and the Democratic party as out of touch and producing bad results for the average American on the things they care most about: crime, immigration and the economy. This is one of, if not the most, favourable environment for an out party that Ive seen in my lifetime.

Indeed, Republicans are exuding confidence despite still being in thrall to a former president who incited a deadly insurrection and despite offering no policy agenda. Florida senator Rick Scott, the chairman of the national Republican senatorial committee, published his own 11-point plan that includes forcing poorer Americans who do not currently pay income tax to do so, but it was swiftly disowned by minority leader Mitch McConnell.

Instead, Republicansare filling the vacuum by assailing rising prices at the petrol pump and at the supermarket (Bidenflation), increasing crime rates in major cities and Bidens reversal of Trump-era policies on immigration. US authorities arrested 210,000 migrants attempting to cross the southern border in March, the highest monthly total in two decades.

The party has also reverted to its playbook of social and cultural hot-button topics, railing against a caricature of critical race theory (CRT) in schools and pushing state legislation to restrict abortions and ban transgender children from sport. It casts itself as a champion of parental rights while portraying Democrats as woke socialists bent on controlling lives and cancelling dissent.

Addressing the conservative Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington last month, Scott warned: We survived the war of 1812, world war one, world war two, Korea, Vietnam and the cold war. But now, today, we face the greatest danger we have ever faced: the militant left wing in our country has become the enemy within.

Come election season, Democrats are often accused of bringing a power-point presentation to a bar brawl: trying to explain policies in intellectual paragraphs while Republicans spin slogans ready-made for car bumper stickers. But this time some Democrats say they are ready to take the fight to their opponents.

Congressman Eric Swalwell of California has just launched the Remedy political action committee, which turns Scotts message on its head by contending that American democracy is under attack from within and promising to hold accountable those who choose party over country.

Swalwell said: At the end of the day, elections are about A or B. Its about drawing a contrast and we can just make it as simple as chaos or competency. When it comes to transitions of power, do you want violence or voting? When it comes to the character of who runs the country, do you want indecency or integrity?

When [pro-Trump members of Congress] Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene proudly declare that theyre not the fringe, theyre the base of the party, were going to make sure every voter knows that. Thats what theyre going to get if they give Republicans the keys to the country.

One dilemma for Democrats is how much time they should spend harking back to Trump, reminding voters of the existential threat that his party still poses to democracy, versus a positive forward-looking vision that encompasses bread-and-butter concerns.

Swalwell acknowledges that Democrats must identify with the pain that people are feeling from inflation while also offering solutions. He points to last months example of the House passing a bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 a month (Americans currently pay around five to eight times more than Canadians). Some 193 Republicans opposed the bill while just 12 voted in favour.

Swalwell said: Were going to make them own walking away from solutions that would help people. Their plan for the economy is that 100 million people will pay more in taxes: thats Rick Scotts rescue plan that theyre running on. As people pay more already at the checkout stand, Rick Scott would have most Americans pay more in taxes.

Its going to be about choices and, if we have the resources to tell America what the choices are, were going to win. Right now I see the punditry betting against us but I dont see our supporters betting against us because, when you look at Democratic versus Republican fundraising quarter after quarter, were beating them. Theres no fatigue in our base. They get it.

The four embattled Senate Democrats Cortez Masto, Hassan, Kelly and Warnock outraised their Republican opponents in the first quarter of this year, boosting hopes that supporters will remain energised. Trumps determination to insert himself into dozens of races with risky endorsements, campaign rallies and his big lie of a stolen election could also galvanise Democrats and independents.

Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican national committee, predicts that Republicans will pick up 30 to 35 seats in the House but Democrats might just hold the Senate. He said: The Republicans main message is going to be Democrats cant run the country. I give you the economy. I give you culture. I give you crime. And the Democrats message is, Can we get back to you in a moment? That sums up the 2022 election.

He added: Republicans dont have to run on anything substantive; all they have to do is say, gee, look how screwed up these guys are. Youre going to see Republicans run a culture war-based strategy that drives the fear and loathing that white suburban families, particularly women, have over things that are not even relevant to their childrens lives, like CRT. And Democrats will be sitting there pissed off at all the wrong stuff.

View original post here:
Joe Bidens message drowned out by beat of the Republican culture-war drum - The Guardian

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is leading a delegation of Republican lawmakers to the southern border in Texas on Monday, his office announced on Saturday.

McCarthy and nine other Republicans will be traveling to the southern border at Eagle Pass, Texas, in the minority leaders second congressional delegation to the southern border this Congress, his office noted.

The other GOP lawmakers joining McCarthy include House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Reps. Gary Palmer (Ala.), Tony Gonzales (Texas), Randy Weber (Texas), Michael Guest (Miss.), Chip Roy (Texas), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Diana Harshbarger (Tenn.) and Blake Moore (Utah).

Today the border crisis is exploding but the Biden administration is about to make this unprecedented catastrophe even worse by rescinding Title 42, McCarthys office said in a release.

House Republicans stand with our brave Border Patrol agents on the front lines of this crisis, and we demand that the Biden administration reverse their decision to end Title 42 and fully enforce the immigration and border security laws of our nation.

The development comes as the Biden administration recorded roughly 221,000 migrant arrests at the southern border for the month of March the highest monthly number of border encounters in two decades.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it would be rescinding Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows migrants to rapidly be turned away from the border and barred from seeking asylum. The policy is set to end on May 23.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed earlier this week that we are planning and preparing for the end of Title 42 enforcement on May 23.

There are a range of ideas out there in Congress: Democrats, Republicans, others, some who support a delay of Title 42 implementation, some who strongly oppose it, she added. And there are a range of other ideas of reforming our immigration system. This would all require congressional action. Were happy to have that conversation with them.

See the rest here:
McCarthy to head delegation of Republican lawmakers to southern border - The Hill

Because they have long held a supermajority and dominated Idaho politics, next months Republican primary elections are expected to be among the most competitive and influential races in a vital election year for Idaho.

Based on decades of political dominance in Idaho and Democrats not running candidates in most races, the May 17 Republican primary elections will answer the question of who controls the Republican Party and, therefore, sets the policy and political agenda for years to come.

With the closed primary, that has become basically the general election because Idaho is such a strong red state, said former Republican Speaker of the Idaho House Bruce Newcomb.

The 2022 elections are the most important elections in years. All 105 seats in the Idaho Legislature are up for election, and all statewide offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction are up as well.

History and electoral dynamics are certainly on the Republicans side. Although the Idaho Senate was split 21-21 in 1991 and 1992, the Republicans have controlled a majority in the Idaho Legislature since 1959, with the exception of those two years.

Republicans have also won every statewide office since 2002, when Democrat Marilyn Howard was re-elected superintendent of public instruction.

And even before a single vote in the 2022 elections is counted, Republicans know they will continue to enjoy a supermajority in 2023. Of the 105 legislative seats up for election this year, there are no Democrats running for 60 of the seats.

For the 2022 elections, the goals are clear, Idaho Republican Party Chairman Tom Luna told the Idaho Capital Sun. Republicans want to retain every statewide office and expand their supermajority in the Legislature. Theyre also looking to expand their political empire beyond the Statehouse.

Most recently we have been involved with what traditionally have been nonpartisan offices to get more conservative voices at the school board and city and county level, Luna said. That is the nature of success, keep what we have and expand what we have.

Idaho Republicans face division with the party

Supermajorities have interesting and complicated effects on elections and politics, said Jaclyn Kettler, associate professor of political science at Boise State University.

Republicans holding such a large majority in the state, whether you look at all the statewide offices or a supermajority in Legislature, actually provide some challenges to both parties, Kettler said. Republicans have internal division and Democrats face a few struggles, and one is perhaps even being able to recruit candidates to run.

Luna said the primaries are when Republicans hammer out their differences and decide which direction the party will head.

As I travel around the state, its still very clear to me Republicans agree on 80% of policy and 80% of values, but it is during the primary we debate the 20% we dont agree on.

Its pretty clear we have legislative candidates that represent different wings of the party, Luna added. As a state party, we dont get involved with supporting candidates in the primary. We let the voters decide.

But Idaho Democratic Party chair Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, said division within the Republican Party isnt merely about debating policies about how to cut taxes and reduce government regulation. She said the Republican Party and the Idaho House have moved farther to the right and pushed divisive and extremism.

Idahoans in all walks of life are seeing extremism play out in the Idaho Legislature and are deeply concerned about the future of our state, Necochea said. Examples she gave included reducing funding for higher education and the library commission, GOP efforts to remove a statute that protects librarians from imprisonment, passing a Texas-style abortion law and the Republicans focus on so-called indoctriantion and critical race theory in school.

Did the closed Republican primary election push the party to the far right?

Newcomb, a Republican who held the Houses top leadership position from 1999 through 2006, said he is worried about how the closed Republican primary election, which is only open to voters affiliated with the Republican Party, politicizes the party.

The big thing is we have become much more partisan, particularly the Republican Party and factions in dissent within the party, Newcomb said. If you look at Take Back Idaho, which includes (former state Republican officials) Ben Ysursa, Jim Jones, myself and Bob Geddes, we are concerned about the state Legislature in terms of addressing policy rather than conspiracy theories. There are factions (in the GOP) where we have CRT, critical race theory and those people buying into those stuff. Basically, in the beginning, hardly anybody could define it and no matter how much you shoot at it, it just keeps rising up. Now it is present in a lot of peoples campaigns and it shouldnt be.

Since helping launch the Take Back Idaho PAC and saying he wants to push for the removal of extremists from the Legislature, Newcomb has been called a RINO, or Republican in Name Only.

Newcomb said the name-calling and meanness is illustrative of the partys shift and problems.

The other thing is campaigns have become so ugly and dissident that good people are reluctant to get involved.

Newcomb said Republicans deserve the blame for the division and extremism that has crept into the party and for underestimating the sophistication of divisive social media content.

A lot of it is people, like myself, were kind of asleep at the switch and thinking this will correct itself but it just keeps gaining momentum, Newcomb said.

Political scientist David Adler, the president of the nonprofit Alturas Institute in Idaho Falls, said the party has shifted so far to the right he doesnt see much distinction between Idaho Republicans, particularly in the Idaho House of Representatives. If there are differences, Adler said they should be measurable such as differences in voting records or by elected officials who stand up and denounce policies such as cutting funding for libraries and education or pursuing a bill that critics worried could lead to jailing libraries for material harmful to minors.

Adler points to two bills over the past two years that he says are illustrative of the state of the Republican Party in Idaho. One is this years abortion law, Senate Bill 1309. Every Republican but Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, voted for it and GOP Gov. Brad Little signed it into law. (Wood is retiring and will not return to the Idaho Legislature next year).

The other is the so-called anti indoctrination, anti critical race theory bill from 2021. The only Republican to vote against House Bill 377 was Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston.

Its one thing to say you represent a more moderate wing of the Republican Party and offer a distinctive voice than that offered by the far right, Adler said. But if in fact your voting record mirrors the far right, then essentially there is no moderate conservtive wing in the Republican Party.

Adler thinks the move to the right could eventually be damaging to the Idaho Republican Party, but it will take Idahoans deciding GOP policies dont work for regular Idaho families and launching a sustained move to attract independent and moderate voters to reshape the Democratic Party.

It would marginalize the far right in Idaho; it would place them on an island, Adler said.

For his part, Luna disagreed with Adler, Newcomb and Necochea.

We have a physiological difference on the proper role of government, Luna said. You have one side that really believes the answer is bigger government and more programs, right, more government programs. On the other side, Republicans insist on less government and know you need strong families. So everything we do should be building strong families, whatever your definition of families. We dont need big government where families are weak and not able to function as a unit and rely more and more on government programs. It is a different approach, where we want to strengthen families and strengthen the support system.

Luna said Republicans resisted extremism and anti-government activist Ammon Bundy, an independent candidate who originally announced he would run for governor as a Republican before going independent.

You saw that play out in its natural course, Luna said. He was not a Republican, he had never voted as a Republican and he realized he didnt have a place in the Republican Party and became the poster child of a RINO.

Luna said Republicans get criticized for their beliefs and infighting and but dont get enough credit for their accomplishments.

When I talk to the national press, I remind them we are the least regulated state and have one of the best economies in the country with two years in a row of massive tax cuts and rebates, Luna said. Its not an accident. Its the result of a robust and engaged Republican Party. When you write whats wrong with the Republican Party? or whats the future of the Republican Party? remind people it is that same Republican Party that created one of the fastest growing states, a state that is so attractive to others because of low regulations, reduced taxes and what I believe is a good education system for the money we spend.

The rest is here:
Primary elections 2022: State of the Idaho Republican Party - Bonner County Daily Bee