In many cases, facing their own fiercely competitive general election races, Republicans running this year are largely foregoing appeals to the center, instead doubling down on conservative positions — from opposing popular bipartisan reforms to celebrating the rollback of abortion rights.
The stark difference in rhetoric and policy positions between those outgoing senators and the Republicans back home running for their seats also illustrates the deeply polarizing approach being taken by a new crop of GOP candidates. It’s a reflection of both the Trumpification of the party and a calculation that they can still win because the environment is so bad for Democrats this year.
And it shows their apparent belief that the electorate now prefers fighters, not peacemakers.
“Voters are interested in candidates who aren’t interested in being members of the go-along, get-along party,” said Gregg Keller, a Republican consultant based in Missouri. “I think the bases of both parties right now have a huge amount of justifiable skepticism about Washington, D.C. dealmaking and how that has a lot to do with the situation in which we find ourselves today.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member