Rep. Diane Black is the latest Republican to learn that success does not run through the House of Representatives. The heavy favorite for Tennessee governor didn’t win her primary because the GOP hungers for something different still.
Conventional political wisdom says Black should have won easily. She enjoyed decent name recognition, served almost a decade in Congress, and won a powerful leadership role as chair of the Budget Committee. But the electorate wasn’t impressed with those conventional accomplishments. Black lost badly finishing in third place.
Black now finds herself in unenviable company. She is the fifth House Republican to make a bid for higher office and fail in the primary.
Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita bashed-in each other’s heads only to unwittingly open a path to the Republican nomination in Indiana’s Senate race for Mike Braun.
Rep. Evan Jenkins was expected to get the nod from his party to take on incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin. West Virginia wasn’t impressed with his establishment bona fides and went with state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey instead.
Rep. Raul Labrador was disappointed to discover that even conservative electorates don’t automatically go for the farthest right candidate. He didn’t win the GOP nomination for Idaho governor.
While each of these losses are unique and every race has its own contours, Republicans should be able to tug on a common thread. Specifically, voters aren’t impressed with congressional accomplishments. Either these Republicans didn’t fight hard enough against the Obama administration or these Republicans haven’t done enough to support President Trump. Regardless, a congressional resume a winning campaign does not make in 2018.
During an election season already depressing for Republicans, this should be very worrisome. It’s not just that incumbents are unpopular and therefore bad candidates during the midterms. Voters just aren’t wowed by mediocrity. Tax cuts are great, even historic. Trump talking points are fun. They still aren’t enough to win. The Republican base wants something else instead.
