The momentum heading into November 5 appears to be solidly behind Donald Trump and the Republican Party at the moment.
However, that’s how it looked just ahead of the 2022 Midterms as well – so Republicans can’t get overconfident.
Especially now that it seems Mitch McConnell is blowing GOP chances just so he can help one of his RINO friends.
Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it
Considering how eventful and unprecedented the 2024 Presidential election has been, it’s easy to forget lessons from the very recent past.
Just two short years ago, there was endless buzz and hype about a big red wave sweeping in and riding Republicans to a massive advantage in the House of Representatives and control of the U.S. Senate.
Without going deep into the details, the red wave didn’t happen – and, in fact, it was Democrats who defied all odds and gained ground in the Senate.
One issue for the GOP in the Midterms was some questionable decisions in regards to the allocation of fundraising dollars.
RINO Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) Leadership fund poured money into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, where Democrats had zero shot at flipping the seat.
However, it was important to Senator McConnell that arguably the most liberal Republican in the Upper Chamber, Never-Trumper Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, retain her seat in Alaska’s ranked-choice General Election election contest after the Alaska Republican Party voted to censure Murkowski and threw their support behind the Republican in the race, the Trump-supported Kelly Tshibaka.
The money McConnell spent to help Murkowski barely cross the finish line ahead of Tshibaka – Murkowski won the three-way race by about three-quarters of a point – could have otherwise been spent to sure-up a couple of pickup opportunities that would have won the GOP a Senate majority.
Adam Laxalt and Herschel Walker – both strong MAGA supporters – lost their respective contests by less than a single-point.
And unfortunately, 2024 is proving that the Senate Minority Leader hasn’t learned from his past mistakes.
The GOP establishment is trying to make Larry Hogan a thing
Capital News Service in Maryland recently ran a report on the state’s U.S. Senate candidate’s Federal Election Commission campaign filings.
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is so anti-Trump, that GOP Leadership believed he might be able to score an upset victory in the state’s open senate race against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
According to the FEC filings, some of the most entrenched names on the right side of the senate aisle are pouring money into The Old Line State to aid in Hogan’s supposed underdog story.
The filings reveal McConnell’s Leadership Fund has dumped $2 million into a Hogan SuperPAC.
Meanwhile, McConnell’s second in command, RINO Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) added $235,000 to Hogan’s uphill efforts.
And fellow RINO Senator John Thune (R-SD) has directed another $1 million into Maryland on Hogan’s behalf.
All of this to elect a man who would join Murkowski and Susan Collins (R-ME) as the most liberal Republicans in the chamber.
Larry Hogan and Maryland represent missed opportunities elsewhere
But will the money be enough to purchase a victory for the Maryland RINO?
Probably not.
Real Clear Politics rates the race as Lean Democrat, but that seems overly kind to Hogan.
Alsobrooks leads Hogan by 11.3-points in the RCP average of polling – including by 13 in the most recent survey in the state.
Polymarket rates Hogan’s chances in Maryland as the least likely of all the supposedly “competitive” races, giving Alsobrooks a 90% chance of winning.
Meanwhile, several America-First Republicans are in the midst of nail biters.
The money being wasted on Hogan could be better served making sure Republican Senators Deb Fischer, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Rick Scott hold on to their seats in Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, and Florida, respectively.
Or, McConnell, Cornyn, and Thune could be sending their dollars to races in Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, where the Republican challengers have far better odds of flipping a blue seat.
The lesson is clear, it pays to be friends with Mitch McConnell.
