A narrow margin in Congress had one newspaper’s editorial board doomsaying the president’s administration over calling for a primary challenge against a senator.
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill undoubtedly brought with it some ugly side effects. Capitol Hill disputes weren’t limited to launching salvos across the aisle. After opposition from North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) led to Trump’s call for a primary, the two-term senator announced plans to retire, prompting the Wall Street Journal to voice concerns over the GOP majority.
“… Mr. Trump couldn’t leave victory alone,” wrote the Journal’s editorial board after the OBBB advanced 51-49.
Challenging Trump’s criticism of Tillis and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) over their “No” votes on the procedural advancement of the bill, the paper contended, “Instead, he unloaded on the two GOP dissenters, Rand Paul of Kentucky and especially Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Mr. Trump dumped three different Truth Social posts on Mr. Tillis, calling him a sellout, a ‘talker and complainer’ and various other insults.”
The editorial board further raised concerns that Trump put “his presidency at risk” because races in Iowa, Maine, and Texas had already threatened the Republican Party’s narrow 53-47 majority before the announcement that Tillis would not seek re-election.
Arguing that Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R), who sided with Democrats on continuing to allow taxpayer money to support convicted criminal foreign nationals, was always a “tough race,” the Journal highlighted that the left was launching a concerted effort against Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s incumbency before turning to the Lone Star State.
“In the suicide-isn’t-painless department, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn,” wrote the editorial board. “Mr. Paxton may be the only Republican who could lose in Texas given his record of harassing businesses with lawsuits, impeachment, and other embarrassments.”
As it is, the president’s 2024 co-Campaign Manager Chris LaCivita and senior Trump strategist Tony Fabrizio did their part in aiding Cornyn’s re-election campaign if he continued to seek a fifth term in office, as LaCivita also signed on to help South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R).
Before Tillis dropped out of his race for another term in the Tar Heel State, the president posted to Truth Social Saturday, “Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis. I will be meeting them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Hours later, the senator stated in part, “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”
Decrying “the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington,” Tillis added of his decision to retire, “It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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