- Oct 17, 2011
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It's more important to be MAGA than to be an incumbent officeholder.
Nebraska’s Republican Party isn’t backing any House or Senate incumbents
It’s the latest state Republican party in which far-right activists are taking control and attempting to root out traditional or centrist Republicans in order to nominate more like-minded candidates, regardless of their electoral chances in a general election.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), one of the 17 House Republicans who represents a district President Biden won in 2020, is one of those incumbents.
Bacon, running for his fifth term, has repeatedly faced primary challenges from the right and has easily won. But this year, he doesn’t have the support of his state party, which endorsed his challenger, Dan Frei, who pledged to join the House Freedom Caucus if elected.
Bacon’s seat is already a top target for Democrats, who would be thrilled if Frei won the primary.
Eric Underwood, head of the Nebraska GOP since 2022, has purged the state party and inserted Trump loyalists. One of the Nebraska GOP’s committee chairs, Fanchon Blythe, who is also a member of the RNC, is an election denier who posted a picture on her Facebook page with Jacob Angeli-Chansley, better known by his nickname “the █████ Shaman,” in December.
[Races in Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada...]
As many state parties have shifted toward the extreme right, another major fallout is that they’re cash strapped and far less effective.
Nebraska’s Republican Party isn’t backing any House or Senate incumbents
It’s the latest state Republican party in which far-right activists are taking control and attempting to root out traditional or centrist Republicans in order to nominate more like-minded candidates, regardless of their electoral chances in a general election.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), one of the 17 House Republicans who represents a district President Biden won in 2020, is one of those incumbents.
Bacon, running for his fifth term, has repeatedly faced primary challenges from the right and has easily won. But this year, he doesn’t have the support of his state party, which endorsed his challenger, Dan Frei, who pledged to join the House Freedom Caucus if elected.
Bacon’s seat is already a top target for Democrats, who would be thrilled if Frei won the primary.
Eric Underwood, head of the Nebraska GOP since 2022, has purged the state party and inserted Trump loyalists. One of the Nebraska GOP’s committee chairs, Fanchon Blythe, who is also a member of the RNC, is an election denier who posted a picture on her Facebook page with Jacob Angeli-Chansley, better known by his nickname “the █████ Shaman,” in December.
It’s not just Nebraska
It’s not just Nebraska where the state party has rebuked national Republicans.[Races in Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada...]
As many state parties have shifted toward the extreme right, another major fallout is that they’re cash strapped and far less effective.
