In two key Senate primary races — in Indiana and West Virginia — the Republican Party had the opportunity to pick a high-risk Trumpian candidate, thereby sacrificing possible pickups that might secure its Senate majority. President Trump won both red states handily, putting incumbent Democrats in a precarious spot. In one race, the GOP rejected an extreme, racist candidate (an ex-con to boot); in the other GOP primary, voters chose a candidate who embraced Trump.
The most closely watched race was in West Virginia featuring Don Blankenship. He’s quite a character — an ex-convict sent to prison for his role in a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 people. He has engaged in vile race-baiting, calling Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s father a “wealthy China-person” and labeling her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), “Cocaine Mitch” in a notorious TV ad (based on recovery of a small amount of cocaine in a ship owned by Chao’s father’s company — which has nothing to do with either McConnell or his wife). (Indicative of the spinelessness that now afflicts Republicans, McConnell refused to say before the election whether the ad was racist. Trump in the final days of the campaign spoke up, but only to say that Blankenship was not electable.) West Virginia Republican voters, to their credit, rejected Blankenship handily. The lesson here seems to be: Don’t wait for craven GOP officials to show moral leadership; it’s up to ordinary voters to summon the gumption to reject hateful candidates.
Blankenship wound up in third place. Republicans should take note, however: Democratic turnout for an uncompetitive primary exceeded turnout for the hotly contested GOP nomination by more than 23,000 — continuing a pattern of high voter enthusiasm among Democrats.
In Indiana, candidate Mike Braun, who clung tightly to Trump, won his race over two better-known congressmen, giving some comfort to Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) once thought to be vulnerable. In Trumpian fashion, Braun likes to play the anti-immigrant card. In March, he was forced to take down an ad making hay out of the deaths of two Indiana residents killed by a drunk driver suspected to be an illegal immigrant. The widow of one of the men killed went public with her outrage, leaving Braun to plead that he had no idea the ad would be so offensive. Braun, a wealthy businessman, may be able to self-finance. The downside, however, is his business record, which has Democrats salivating. The Associated Press reported: “Meyer Distributing, a Jasper-based national auto parts distribution company Braun owns, does brisk business importing goods from the same overseas countries he has criticized for taking American jobs. He also has accepted government subsidies, despite criticizing the practice. … And lawsuits filed against his companies — backed up by federal trucking and labor records — present a picture of a boss who has overworked and underpaid employees.”
Braun seems to get sued almost as much as Trump does (“Workers have sued in West Virginia, Oklahoma and California, alleging they were forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions and denied overtime pay, meal times and breaks”). Republicans’ selection of Braun, an inexperienced candidate with a dicey business record, may give Donnelly enough ammunition to hold on to his seat.
Perhaps Trump fever is dissipating, if only a little. Whether Republicans can stem a blue tide heading their way in November remains an open question.