President Trump’s endorsement of Virginia’s newly minted Republican Senate nominee Corey Stewart failed to convince other top Republicans in Washington to back his uphill campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, declined to issue an official statement acknowledging Stewart’s nomination, even as Trump tweeted his support for the long-shot candidate who has modeled his political persona after the president.
But Republicans seem unconcerned that the issue could spark a rift with Trump that party leaders have worked assiduously to avoid as the midterm elections approach. They expressed confidence that the president would understand that investing in Stewart was not in the GOP’s interest.
“You can beat Tim Kaine in a good year, but the map is just too good, there are better targets,” a veteran Republican strategist said. “There isn’t enough money to fund everything, especially in a state Hillary [Clinton] won.”
Indeed, the Senate map of seats up for election this year is an embarrassment of riches for the Republicans — so tilted in their favor the party could pick up seats in the chamber even if the tough environment costs it control of the House.
Republicans are on offense in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota, and are competing in six more states that Trump captured in 2016. Clinton, his Democratic opponent two years ago, did win Virginia — and Stewart is a flawed candidate.
The suburban D.C. county council chairman has aped Trump’s positions on illegal immigration and positioned himself as a staunch defender of Virginia’s Confederate culture and statues honoring soldiers who fought for the commonwealth in the Civil War.
But Stewart has managed to exhibit all of Trump’s abrasiveness without any of his charm or mystique, a bad recipe for a diverse, Democratic-leaning commonwealth like Virginia — especially in a challenging midterm year for the GOP. Senate Republicans want nothing to do with him.
Asked for a comment on the race against Kaine, the NRSC forwarded remarks Chairman Cory Gardner of Colorado made to CNN’s Manu Raju: “We have a big map, right now we are focused on Florida, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana. I don’t see Virginia in it.”
Stewart, a runner up in the 2017 gubernatorial primary, just barely defeated underfunded state legislator Nick Freitas, 45 percent to 43 percent, in Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary. That weak finish isn’t inspiring much confidence in Stewart’s ability to upset Kaine, Clinton’s 2016 running mate, in November.
The prevailing view of Stewart could mean that even outside groups loyal to Trump decide he isn’t worth their investment, notwithstanding the president’s hearty endorsement on Twitter.
A Republican insider said that pro-Trump groups are more likely to follow the president’s lead in congressional primaries. In the general election, they’re not inclined to “waste” donors’ money, although Trump’s preference for a candidate “weighs heavily” on decision-making.
“Congratulations to Corey Stewart for his great victory for Senator from Virginia. Now he runs against a total stiff, Tim Kaine, who is weak on crime and borders, and wants to raise your taxes through the roof. Don’t underestimate Corey, a major chance of winning!” Trump tweeted.
Stewart, passionately supportive of Trump and Virginia’s self-proclaimed “mini-Trump,” has an interesting history with the president. During the 2016 campaign, he was chairman of Trump’s campaign in Virginia — until he was fired for attacking then Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who would go on to serve as the president’s first chief of staff.
He had a falling out with many of Trump’s strongest allies in the commonwealth, so much so that they didn’t support him in the 2017 gubernatorial primary, backing GOP establishment candidate Ed Gillespie instead. Trump supporters claim Stewart’s antics and rhetoric cost the president an opportunity to defeat Clinton in Virginia.
