Douglas Heye is the ex-deputy chief of staff to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a GOP strategist and a CNN political commentator. Portman, who won reelection in Ohio in 2016 by 21 points, was seemingly not on anyone's radar for potential retirement. If they win, the party is changed for the worse. And if they lose, those extreme candidates still tend to define how the Republican Party is perceived. But two congressional candidates, both unsuccessful, planted the seed that Republican candidates were increasingly outlandish in their performance and beliefs.

Source: The Nation January 26, 2021 21:00 UTC