A ‘war on the Republican establishment’ comes West

President Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp, but to one of his most controversial political allies, that morass has widened — to now encompass the Republican Party. Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity” show in October, former White House strategist Steve Bannon called the GOP a “globalist clique.” Bannon, who is executive chair of the far-right Breitbart […]

A ‘war on the Republican establishment’ comes West

President Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp, but to one of his most controversial political allies, that morass has widened — to now encompass the Republican Party. Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity” show in October, former White House strategist Steve Bannon called the GOP a “globalist clique.” Bannon, who is executive chair of the far-right Breitbart News Network, promised to use his media platform and funding connections to challenge every Republican incumbent (apart from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz) with his own “coalition” of candidates for the 2018 midterm elections.

“We are declaring war on the Republican establishment that does not back the agenda that Donald Trump ran on,” Bannon said, adding that it would be a long-term effort to first replace Republican incumbents, and then Democrats. That has put some Western Republicans in Bannon’s crosshairs, as senators from Utah to Arizona have been either tepid in their support, or outright critical of Trump. Here’s a list of potential targets:

Sen. Jeff Flake, Arizona

Flake has been one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics from the get-go. In a Senate speech on Oct. 24, Flake issued a searing critique of Trump and the Republican Party. “Mr. President, I will not be complicit or silent,” Flake said, before announcing he would not seek reelection after his first term finishes in January 2019. He continued: “We were not made great as a country by indulging in or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorifying in the things that divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.”

Trump responded by tweeting that Flake’s decision to not seek reelection was because he had “zero chance of being elected.” That’s not true, but it would have been a competitive race. Flake’s Senate seat was considered “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, meaning it could go either red or blue. On Oct. 17, Bannon threw his support toward Flake’s would-be primary challenger, former state Sen. Kelli Ward, at a campaign fundraiser in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Great America PAC, which raised $30 million for Trump in 2016, has also pledged support to Ward and has begun donating to her campaign.

Sen. Dean Heller, Nevada

A first-term senator, Heller is vulnerable in the 2018 midterms because Nevada went for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. The Cook Report ranks his seat a “toss-up.” Heller did not endorse Trump during the 2016 campaign, but he told the Nevada Independent in August that he did vote for him. Heller voted against his party’s attempts to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act, a primary goal of the current Republican-controlled Congress. “He wants to remain a senator, doesn’t he?” Trump asked the room during a televised meeting on health care with Republican senators, referencing Heller’s voting record.

Bannon supports Heller’s opponent Danny Tarkanian, who has run five unsuccessful campaigns for Republican office, including a House bid last year. Tarkanian has cast Heller as part of the “clique” Bannon is seeking to unseat, calling him “D.C. Dean Heller” and an “establishment politician.” Tarkanian has fervently supported Trump on policy and in media appearances since the election. Bannon met with Tarkanian privately to express his support, according to Politico. Meanwhile, Heller is trailing Tarkanian by as much as 6 points in recent polls.

Sen. John Barrasso, Wyoming

Bannon has also named long-time lawmaker Barrasso as a targeted, albeit “safe” incumbent. Wyoming is a deeply red state, and Barrasso has good standing with voters there with his solidly conservative voting record. However, in his war with the GOP, Bannon has said that “just voting is not enough.” In October, the New York Times reported that Bannon was encouraging Erik Prince, founder of the controversial security contractor Blackwater, to challenge Barrasso. Prince, who considers himself libertarian, has never held public office. He is the brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Prince has not officially announced his candidacy, and if he does, will have to work to overcome the stigma of being the candidate who has not spent much time in the state he may campaign in. The Times reports he had an address in Wapiti, Wyoming, in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah

Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in Congress, has not yet announced if he will seek reelection in 2018, but his seat is already on Bannon’s list. Utah’s reaction to Trump’s campaign was mixed. Even though the state is Republican, politicians and voters objected to Trump’s characterization of immigrants and his harsh rhetoric. Since the election, Hatch has emerged as a Trump ally, helping the president select Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court and convincing the president to review both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments. But he has also been critical at times.

So far, no one has come forward as a challenger with Bannon’s blessing, but Utah state Rep. Mike Noel has made overtures. “He knows I’m a lot like Trump,” Noel said of Bannon in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune. “Win or lose, I’m going to tell it like it is.” Noel was under consideration to direct the Bureau of Land Management under Trump. Boyd Matheson is another potential challenger. Matheson is a former chief of staff with Sen. Mike Lee, and president of the Sutherland Institute, a conservative think tank based in Salt Lake City.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

AG announces legislative priorities for upcoming special session

AG announces legislative priorities for upcoming special session

Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced on Thursday his legislative priorities for July’s special legislative session, including the creation of a crime victim’s unit to…
Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, a Democrat from Silver City, won’t seek reelection in the general election in November, leaving SD 28, a swing…
Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Supreme Court denied and dismissed the effort to challenge six laws enacted in 2023. The New Mexico Supreme…
Interior announces $520 million of funding for water projects

Interior announces $520 million of funding for water projects

The U.S. Department of Interior announced $520 million in funding for 57 projects throughout the United States to improve water infrastructure and drought resiliency…
Survivors, advocates plead for Speaker to allow RECA expansion vote

Survivors, advocates plead for Speaker to allow RECA expansion vote

Millie Chino of Laguna Pueblo teared up as she spoke about her spouse, who died in September due to a health condition linked to…
Construction halted on El Vado Reservoir

Construction halted on El Vado Reservoir

The work on El Vado stopped in March due to what the Bureau of Reclamation describes as “unforeseen field conditions which posed numerous and…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf answered questions about the safety of human milk formula and mifepristone on Wednesday. Sen. Martin…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

Thursday, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents approved a land acquisition for a full-spectrum reproductive healthcare center, that will include abortion care,…
Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf answered questions about the safety of human milk formula and mifepristone on Wednesday. Sen. Martin…
Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, a Democrat from Silver City, won’t seek reelection in the general election in November, leaving SD 28, a swing…
UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

Thursday, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents approved a land acquisition for a full-spectrum reproductive healthcare center, that will include abortion care,…
Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

Heinrich questions FDA leadership on baby formula safety, mifepristone

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf answered questions about the safety of human milk formula and mifepristone on Wednesday. Sen. Martin…
In response to Dobbs, the Biden administration finalizes a new rule to protect abortion patients

In response to Dobbs, the Biden administration finalizes a new rule to protect abortion patients

​The Biden administration finalized a new rule to add protections for reproductive healthcare information for patients. The Office of Civil Rights through the U.S.…
Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

Correa Hemphill to step down from legislature

State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, a Democrat from Silver City, won’t seek reelection in the general election in November, leaving SD 28, a swing…
Progressives going after incumbents in hot Democratic primaries

Progressives going after incumbents in hot Democratic primaries

By Justin Horwath, NM In Depth It’s a safe bet Democrats will barrel into 2025 with their supremacy intact at the New Mexico Legislature.…
Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Supreme Court denied and dismissed the effort to challenge six laws enacted in 2023. The New Mexico Supreme…
UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

UNM approves land acquisition for Las Cruces reproductive health center

Thursday, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents approved a land acquisition for a full-spectrum reproductive healthcare center, that will include abortion care,…
Interior announces $520 million of funding for water projects

Interior announces $520 million of funding for water projects

The U.S. Department of Interior announced $520 million in funding for 57 projects throughout the United States to improve water infrastructure and drought resiliency…
Survivors, advocates plead for Speaker to allow RECA expansion vote

Survivors, advocates plead for Speaker to allow RECA expansion vote

Millie Chino of Laguna Pueblo teared up as she spoke about her spouse, who died in September due to a health condition linked to…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report