An ideological battle is underway across the nation as primary election season reaches full swing.
The Democrat and Republican parties are in for a historic fight of a lifetime come November, but until then, dueling factions within the GOP are jockeying for influence.
On one hand, we have the RINOs — an old-school Republicanism that tends to support endless foreign wars and aligns more closely with Democrats. But RINOs aren’t fighters, they advocate for following the status quo, which is probably why they typically lose elections.
Then you have the America First faction of the GOP, which is seeing a resurgence of support this primary season. America First Republicans tend to have the fighting spirit required to trounce the increasingly radical Democrats. They believe in country over party; a return to populist, working-class policies that actually work are the chief aims of MAGA lawmakers.
So far, MAGA has been winning big this primary season and it doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon.
Retired Green Beret Joe Kent defeated Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in a primary challenge on Monday. The race was largely seen as a repudiation of Herrera’s vote to impeach Former President Trump following the Jan. 6 protest.
With 92% of ballots counted, Kent received 22.8% support and Herrera Beutler received 22.3 percent. Due to Washington’s election laws, mail-in-ballots can be legally submitted until election day, meaning results aren’t always cut-and-dry.
Herrera Beutler is the third pro-impeachment GOP incumbent to lose reelection. Kent, endorsed by Trump, is the clear favorite to win this R+5 seat (@CookPolitical PVI) in the fall.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 9, 2022
Beutler was certainly the moneyed candidate as she has the entire GOP establishment behind her, including House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy’s fundraising committee Take Back the House 2022 even gave Beutler something like $167,000 for her campaign. Beutler also received more than $157,000 from joint fundraising committees associated with Winning for Women.
Despite her windfalls of cash, the six-term rep. was defeated by political newcomer Joe Kent, who focused his campaign on Beutler’s impeachment vote. He’s claimed that FBI agents were directly responsible for the Jan. 6 debacle as they had several plants in the crowd who were seen inciting violence. Kent is also vehemently against U.S. support for the war in Ukraine, claiming it serves as a perfect distraction for the Biden administration’s multiple domestic failures.
Kent’s victory is yet another example of the massive support America First candidates and Trump’s MAGA movement have received since the disastrous 2020 election. Americans are officially fed up, and they’re coming out in full force to prove it.
Author: Robert Bogart
