GOP leaders seek to fend off Trump endorsement as Republicans eye IL preliminary bid
A Trump endorsement would intensify the battle between the parties and potentially make things more difficult, something GOP leaders want to avoid. So House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy worked behind the scenes to get started: he urged Trump to stay out of the primaries, telling the former President that Bost and Davis were ready to be. committee chair if Republicans reclaimed Sources said, the House after next year’s midterm exams – are all good members.
The tug-of-war over Trump’s potential involvement in Illinois is just the latest headache for GOP leaders as they seek to keep the party united in its quest to regain power. While McCarthy sees Trump as a necessary ally in his bid to win back the House and become a speaker, the former President’s meddling in some of the GOP primaries could also take a toll on Republican life. California peace becomes more difficult.
And Miller created another heartburn for McCarthy and the team. Republicans in particular were annoyed that Miller had spread misinformation about a bipartisan bill that had passed the House to strengthen how immunization records were maintained and shared. Miller attacked 80 Republicans who supported the measure, and later told conservative Breitbart News the bill would “track” unvaccinated Americans who “would be targeted and forced to adhere to Biden’s crazy ‘global vaccination’ vision.”
The attack took place in conservative media – and put Republicans who supported the bill on the defensive as they delivered a flurry of angry messages and calls, even though they argued the law law will have no effect.
McCarthy hinted at it behind closed doors this week, suggesting to his conference that if there’s a question about what’s on the bill, a member should request information from the bill’s author. and the authority committee to get their facts straight, instead of attacking Republican members. . While McCarthy did not mention Miller by name, attendees interpreted his message as a warning shot aimed squarely at Miller.
Representative Tom Cole, a Republican in Oklahoma, recounted the discussion: “We had a bit of a Republican versus Republican infighting and it just stopped, on a large scale. “. “And we have policy disagreements, that’s okay. But don’t name names, don’t go after other Republicans, you know, personally or in the media or anything like that. Let’s focus your fire where we have real disagreement, which is with our colleagues across the aisle.”
Miller declined to answer any questions about her political plans – or about the controversy she stirred up by attacking her colleagues over vaccination. Leaving the House vote on Thursday, Miller walked in silence as a CNN reporter asked her eight questions and then waited to board the members-only elevator.
Miller, through her office, also declined an interview request and did not respond to questions in a written statement, instead shutting down vaccine agencies and databases and taking at CNN.
“I oppose any attempt by the Biden Administration to use vaccine regulations or vaccine databases to fire Americans from their jobs,” Miller said in a statement.
The filing deadline in Illinois is in March, with the primaries due in June.
Miller’s colleagues see her recent behavior as a clear sign that she is positioning herself for a Republican primary. Davis voted for the vaccination records bill, although Bost did not. And Miller wrote on Twitter that she was “the only Republican from the IL to vote against” an annual defense policy bill, which she falsely claimed would allow service members to be fired if they didn’t vaccinate and infuse the military with critical race theory. .
“What you hear all too often is not the truth. We have puzzling people in the middle,” Crenshaw said. “Lie after lie.”
Representative Bill Huizenga, a Michigan Republican who supported the vaccination record bill, also expressed disappointment.
“It’s frustrating to see that whether it’s for ratings or fundraising or whatever, the people out there are pushing that false story,” he said. “And there were some good, solid conservative members who voted for it.”
Huizenga added that misinformation convinced some Republicans to vote against because they didn’t want to address the entitlement, even though they supported the plan.
“And, and what I’ve heard from some other colleagues is that they, they know but they just, that it’s an OK bill to vote on, they just don’t want to put up with the hassle of it, it’s kind of of chicken, and that’s the bottom line,” he said. “You have to take the tough calls and decisions and then explain it to people, which we’ve been doing.”
Miller, however, has some powerful allies in the Freedom Caucus. Greene raised money for Miller in Illinois this summer, while Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the founders of the hardline group, praised her when asked about the prospect she had to challenge. one of his GOP colleagues in an Elementary.
And there are other reasons Trump might be drawn to the contest. Davis voted to certify the election results and support a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 uprising, which Trump opposed. But Davis also co-chaired Trump’s campaign in Illinois and voted for him in Iowa. Bost, too, has previously received Trump’s support, and the former President once held a rally in his district.
In a brief interview, Davis declined to talk about a hypothetical relationship with Miller, but he did express his relationship with Trump.
“I’m proud of my track record working with the President, while here in Congress on passing Trump’s tax cuts. And I’m proud to work with him not only in government but also at various events and rallies in DC, and outside of DC in my home state of Illinois, to really celebrate our successes together,” Davis said. “So I definitely hope to get his support in my next campaign.”