Senate GOP’s strategy in primaries pays off
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have surrendered none of their primary fights to conservative challengers for the second straight election cycle.
In doing so, they left conservative hard-liners without a single banner victory to claim as their own in recent years. And Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., increased his chances of keeping the Senate in Republican hands in 2017 by ensuring that his crop of nominees is more palatable to general election voters.
The handy victories by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in primaries Tuesday completed the sweep for the Republican establishment, duplicating a feat McConnell first set as a goal during the 2014 election season.
The dominance by Senate Republicans could provide the roadmap for GOP strategists in other races, particularly future presidential campaigns. And they could mean the overall weakening of the conservative movement’s ability to raise money and pressure senators to vote their way for fear they will draw a strong primary threat.
Time and again, Senate Republicans have quashed challenges from candidates who on paper sound a lot like Donald Trump, who overwhelmed establishment candidates in the presidential primary.
After seeing three senators fall during primaries in 2010 and 2012 and insurgents knock off establishment-backed Republicans in key seats, GOP strategists adopted an overwhelming force doctrine for handling primary challenges.
They leveraged their financial edge and set out to define the opponent early before he or she could gain momentum among the conservative grass roots, using modern technology and also spending heavily on positive TV ads to improve the incumbent’s standing among conservative voters.
That strategy was considered essential in protecting GOP incumbents such as Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and Tennessee Sen. Lamar Al- exander in the 2014 midterms.
“The culture of primaries within the Senate GOP campaign apparatus is where the entire party needs to go,” said Josh Holmes, McConnell’s 2014 campaign manager whose firm, Cavalry, worked for McCain and several Republican incumbents. “If your job is to win elections, you don’t just throw up your hands and say, gosh, I sure hope voters don’t pick the guy who can’t possibly win.”
Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire is the last Republican facing a primary this cycle on Sept. 13, but she is facing only token opposition, and all sides think she will win the nomination.