Senate Republicans are already in triage mode ahead of the 2024 elections, circling the wagons around a cohort of their preferred candidates in order to avoid messy primary fights, according to Politico.
What that really means is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s wing of the party is going to war with MAGA base voters in an effort to head off yet another 2022-style disaster.
Over the past couple of weeks, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, chaired by Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, put its weight behind two candidates in Nevada and Montana in order to thwart the MAGA candidates who might otherwise emerge victorious in the primary.
In Montana, the McConnell wing is boosting the candidacy of former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy.
“After last cycle, there’s evidence that we’ve got to get the electable candidates on the field,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, who has endorsed Sheehy alongside Daines, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, and Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, among others.
But election denier and ’22 Trump endorsee Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, who’s also eyeing a Senate bid, seems unfazed.