It’s primary day in Maryland and West Virginia today (which have important Democratic races), as well as in Nebraska, one of the reddest states in America. The Nebraska PVI is R+13, same as Utah and worse than Kansas (R+10), Missouri (R+10), Indiana (R+11) and Mississippi (R+11), let alone contestable states like Arizona (R+2), Georgia (R+3), Florida (R+3), Texas (R+5) or even Ohio (R+6). All of the statewide and federal office holders in Nebraska are Republicans. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary 495,961 (58.7%) to 284,494 (33.7%) and four years later he beat Biden 556,846 (58.5%) to 374,583 (39.4%). Trump won 91 of Nebraska’s 93 counties both times. In 2020, there were 8 counties in which Biden got less than 10% of the vote!
Grant- 5.0%
McPherson- 5.6%
Hayes- 6.3%
Arthur- 7.4%
Logan- 8.4%
Keya Paha- 9.2%
Sioux- 9.8%
Rock- 9.9%
So, yeah— with the exceptions of swingy Omaha and Lincoln— it’s a backward red hellhole with a unicameral legislature that has 33 Republicans, 15 Democrats and 1 independent. But the state Republican Party isn’t going into today’s elections feeling all triumphant and ready for victory laps. MAGAtry has wrecked the Nebraska GOP, just as it has in states across the country. As Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer reported yesterday, though “all five Republicans in the state’s delegation— two senators and three House members— are on the ballot, the state party is endorsing none of them.” MAGAts have gained control of the party apparatus and is “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.”
In one instance, they seem willing to lose a seat to a Democrat by nominating an extremist in the state’s one swing district, NE-02, which Biden won by 6.3 points. Mainstream conservative Don Bacon is facing state Senator Tony Vargas there again. In 2022, Bacon was reelected there, but very narrowly. He can’t afford the kind of dissension tearing up the state party right now.
Bacon’s primary opponent today is Dan Frei, the kind of extreme right radical not popular in the urban and suburban parts of this district. In November, Frei wouldn’t even be competitive in Douglas County and although he would win rural Saunders County, he’s like lose suburban Sarpy, or win by too small a margin to overcome the big Vargas vote in Douglas.
Frei, who is campaigning on joining the House Freedom Caucus, has been endorsed by Bob Good (R-VA), the Freedom Caucus chair— as well as by the state Republican Party and the Republican Party of Douglas County, of Sarpy County and of Saunders County. Even with all that support, though, Frei has been unable to raise much money:
Bacon- $3,455,997
Vargas- $2,396,877
Frei- $125,759
Frei has damaged Bacon by forcing him to spend $1,742,707 in the primary instead of holding it for the general. “I feel sad because it weakens the party,” Bacon said of the state party abandoning him. “A divided party doesn’t perform as well. It's a gift to the Democrats.” Caldwell and Meyer wrote that “The turmoil in state parties mirrors the turmoil among Republicans in D.C.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good and some of the group’s members are backing Frei. Supporting a colleague’s challenger was once unheard of but has become quite common this election cycle. In return, Bacon is backing Good’s primary opponent.”
State parties were once extensions of the national party, working together toward a common goal of electing the strongest Republican candidates. But that has changed in the era of Trump and the GOP’s painful identity crisis. Elements of the right are now more interested in far-right purity than electability.
Eric Underwood, head of the Nebraska GOP since 2022 [and who has endorsed Frei], 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 QAnon Shaman,” in December. Months earlier, Angeli-Chansley completed a two-year jail sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Neither Underwood nor Blythe responded to requests for comment or interviews.
But it’s not just Bacon. The state GOP is not endorsing Sen. Deb Fischer, who is running for her third term. And it’s backing the challenger to Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is running to finish the term to which he was appointed last year to when Republican Ben Sasse resigned.
Ricketts said the party didn’t reach out to the campaign to discuss an endorsement. It just sent a questionnaire to be filled out.
“As Republicans, we believe in competition. I’m willing to compete anytime, anywhere,” Ricketts said of the state party backing his challenger.
Fischer said she “never asked” for the party’s endorsement but notes that they “usually” back the incumbent.
“It’s the Republican voters that are going to determine who goes on to the general election,” Fischer said.
It’s not just Nebraska where the state party has rebuked national Republicans.
In the August primary race for the Minnesota swing district seat held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, the state party is supporting criminal defense attorney Tayler Rahm while the National Republican Congressional Committee is backing federal prosecutor Joe Teirab.
And in the June primary race for a Colorado swing seat held by freshman Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo, the state party has undergone an extreme transformation and is refusing to back national Republicans’ preferred candidate, state Rep. Gabe Evans. Instead, the party is getting behind state Rep. Janak Joshi.
The Republican Party in Nevada, which has been remade to reflect Trump, hasn’t gotten behind Sam Brown, Senate Republicans’ preferred candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. Trump has also not endorsed in that primary, which will take place in June.
As many of state parties have shifted toward the extreme right, another major fallout is that they’re cash strapped and far less effective.
“I don’t know that state parties have the same level of influence that they once did,” veteran Republican strategist Jesse Hunt said. “State parties have undergone quite a facelift over the last couple of cycles; I don’t think it’s all that surprising to see them going in directions that are less conducive to successful outcomes.”
But Evans’ lack of support from the state party might not matter. The Colorado Republican Party has little money, sources say, limiting its influence in the race.
Bacon pointed to internal and public polling showing him with a comfortable lead, but said he’s still campaigning until the very end.
“Angry people come out and vote,” he said.
There's red. And then there's nazi. FL, TX, OK and others are genuine nazi hellholes. NE has simply been red, the way red used to be in the '60s. Not good, but not nazi.
this seems to be changing. witnessing the shithole becoming shittier... and the reich forming up nicely.
fortunately for nazis, nobody is standing in their way.