Moderates and Midterms

Midterm races in South Carolina and Texas, Senate Gun Control Legislation "on pause," and Mitt Romney's Proposal to Help Working Families

Photo by Keith Johnston on Unsplash

The Lead

Republican Congressman Who Voted to Impeach Trump Ousted in South Carolina

After the January 6th Capitol riots, Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) voted to impeach Donald Trump. The former president endorsed Russell Fry, who easily defeated Rep. Rice for the Republican nomination. The district is reliably Republican and so Fry now heads down the red carpet to almost-certain victory in the general election in November. Of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the former president, Rep. Rice is the first to lose. Many of the others are not running for re-election. [Reuters]

At a Republican primary debate, Rep. Rice gave a passionate defense of his impeachment vote that you can watch here

Why Clyburn is Flexing His Political Muscles in this Year’s Primaries

Here Julia Manchester does an excellent deep dive into Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-SC) efforts to support Democratic candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. Recall that Rep. Clyburn is the kingmaker who was able to present President Joe Biden with his first win in the 2020 Democratic Primary, his home state of South Carolina, which gave Biden the momentum he needed to win the nomination. Here Manchester focuses on Clyburn’s visit to San Antonio, where he campaigned for Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who barely edged out a victory in a strong primary from progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. Clyburn addressed progressive criticism for the Cuellar endorsement by arguing that moderate lawmakers such as Cuellar are an asset to the party in a year where Republicans are poised to make electoral gains in the House. 

“Cuellar cannot get elected in my district and I cannot get elected in Cuellar’s district. It’s our job to stay in touch with our constituents, get elected, and then come to this body, sit down around the table, and reconcile whatever differences we bring to the discussion.”

-Rep. Jim Clyburn [The Hill]

Republicans Flip US House Seat in South Texas, Historically a Democratic Stronghold

Republican Mayra Flores defeated Democrat Dan Sanchez in a special election for an open congressional seat in South Texas (50.98%-43.33%). Sanchez blamed the Democratic Party for his defeat, saying

“Too many factors were against us, including little to no support from the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.”-Dan Sanchez

However, the lines of the 34th district have changed and Rep. Vincente Gonzalez will be on the ballot representing the Democratic Party in the November general election. Whether it was because of Sanchez’s moderate positions or because of the fact the winner of this election will only serve for a number of months in Congress until November’s election produces a winner with the standard two-year term, national Democrats paid little attention to this race.

While Sanchez identified as a “conservative Democrat” and pro-life, Flores has been an outspoken election-denier and proponent of QAnon conspiracy theories. [Texas Tribune]

Analysis:

It is a shame that principled conservatives such as Rep. Tom Rice are being primaried for doing the right thing. His defeat is only the latest in a number of retirements and losses for Republicans who have confronted the “Big Lie.” 

Cuellar’s apparent victory (a recall is currently in place) in the Democratic Primary shows that moderate candidates can still compete in environments where they go head-to-head against the far-left wing of the party. Clyburn’s support for Cuellar indicates that the party may yet to open to a “Big Tent '' coalition.

Unfortunately, the Flores-Sanchez result seems to send all of the wrong messages in terms of political incentives: there is minimal national support for moderate Democrats and conspiracy theory-minded Republicans are becoming the new norm. 

For many of us, these results indicate a challenging future ahead for our two major parties. For Democrats, what will happen when Rep. Cuellar is inevitably challenged again? Can a socially conservative candidate such as Sanchez even represent the party in the future? When Rep. Clyburn and current Democratic leadership retires, will the next generation value the place of moderates in the party or will they exclude that part of the coalition and pivot further to the left? For Republicans, is election denial actually a mainstream position? For principled conservatives, is the Republican Party even a politically sustainable coalition when half or more of the party is in denial of basic reality?

For Your Radar

Senate Guns Deal Talks Stalled Over Details

Lawmakers are currently in disagreement over how to address the “boyfriend loophole,” a policy barring firearms in households where only one of the partners is unable to obtain firearms. There are also disagreements over the implementation of “red flag laws” in various states.

"I'm not frustrated, I'm done."-Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Congress has been working to get something passed before the July 4 recess, where they fear public attention may drift away from the gun control issue. [CBS News]

Analysis:

Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Murphy, came to the table with a pretty modest proposal that was designed to garner Republican support. Unfortunately, Sen. Cornyn was recently booed at the Texas GOP Convention for his leadership in these bipartisan talks. We can only hope and pray that talks resume that this bipartisan working group can produce a viable product that will save lives.

Mitt Romney Introduces New Plan to Send Most Parents up to $350 Monthly Checks Per Kid

The Utah Senator recently introduced this proposal, which would offer $350 per child to most American families. It would start to be phased out for individuals earning $200,000 and couples earning $400,000. It is earning praise from conservatives for being a family-centric approach of government assistance and one piece of analysis suggests it could cut childhood poverty by 13%. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) acknowledged that while he may not agree with Romney’s proposal, he appreciates his Republican colleagues' efforts to reduce child poverty. [Business Insider]

Analysis:

While politics are at play with this particular proposal and stand as obstacles preventing its passage, I think it is encouraging to see more Republicans embrace an economic agenda that is more friendly to working people. I hope that Democrats can work together with Sen. Romney on a bipartisan solution to the challenges working families face.