GOP instability deepens as another Republican candidate calls it quits

An Iowa state lawmaker has become the second Republican candidate seeking major office to quit their campaign on Monday. The exit comes amid a broader pattern of GOP departures, even as candidates from both parties have begun dropping out of competitive races.

“After careful consideration and discussion with my family, I have made the difficult but clear decision to suspend my campaign for Congress,” State Representative Shannon Lundgren announced.

A self-described “America First Wife, Mom and Grandma, Original Trump Supporter,” Lundgren did not mention the crisis in Minnesota. She said that the “challenges facing Iowa families are urgent, and I believe my voice and experience are most needed in the Iowa Legislature right now.”

Earlier on Monday, a leading Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, Chris Madel, ended his campaign, and did cite the Trump administration’s activities in his home state.

He pointed to the “countless United States citizens who have been detained in Minnesota due to the color of their skin,” and noted, “I personally have spoken to several law enforcement officers, some Hispanic, and some Asian who have been pulled over by ice on pretextual stops.”

“Driving while Hispanic is not a crime,” Madel added. “Neither is driving while Asian.”

“United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear,” he also told supporters. “United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong.”

Responding to Lundgren’s announcement, political campaign strategist Jacob Perry said, “You’re going to start seeing a lot of this.”

Currently, 28 Republicans have either left Congress this term or announced their intention to not seek re-election. Twenty-three Democrats have as well.

Political strategists have largely predicted Democrats will take control of the House after the November midterm elections.

Democratic strategist and pundit James Carville, responding to the international outcry and condemnation over President Donald Trump’s failed efforts to acquire Greenland, predicted last week that he will likely lose big in the November midterm elections.

“He has to be electorally humiliated, and I think there’s a good, good chance that’s gonna happen this November,” Carville declared.