Conservative buries GOP for standing by Donald Trump's 'garbage' candidates

Conservative Daily Beast columnist Matt Lewis lit into the Republican Party for frittering away their chances of taking control of both chambers of Congress in the upcoming November midterms, claiming they only have themselves to blame because they are still in the thrall of Donald Trump.

In his column, Lewis bluntly asked, "What the hell was the GOP thinking pushing such garbage candidates?"

At issue, as he notes, is a wide slate of candidates that Trump threw his support behind that are so unelectable in the general election, that the Senate may be out of reach and reclaiming the House is no longer the slam dunk that was expected by election observers.

To make his case, he cited the nomination of J.R. Majewski in conservative Ohio who was expected to have a good chance of unseating Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) after her district became more Republican.

"So how did he win the GOP nomination? During an Ohio rally in April, Trump gave Majewski a shout-out. 'He’s a great guy,' Trump said. 'I love him.' A little over a week later, Majewski won the Republican primary," he wrote before adding, "But, for Republicans, it wasn’t much of a victory. This week, on the heels of an Associated Press report alleging that Majewski misrepresented his military service (Majewski denied this, claiming his deployments are “classified”), it was reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) had withdrawn about $1 million worth of ads for the candidate."

According to Lewis, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is primarily to blame -- and it could cost him his chance to become House Speaker if the GOP does claim the chamber by a small majority.

"Trump’s support elevated unelectable candidates like Majewski, and Kevin McCarthy did nothing to prevent this or to elevate more electable candidates. Now, he’s reaping what he sowed," he explained.

He then added, "Even if they take the majority, Republicans are taking points off the board. In a business that is a game of inches, and in a year when the margins are looking tight, Republicans are poised to leave congressional seats on the table. The only question is: How many?"

"The bad news for normal Republicans who want to use this as a teachable moment is that missed opportunities don’t sting so much as long as you still come out on top," he added. "Republicans always win just enough to avoid hitting rock bottom and moving on from Trump."

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