Each of the retirees is a classic establishment conservative more likely to back Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) than former president Donald Trump. Former state treasurer Josh Mandel ran for the Senate against Democrat Sherrod Brown in 2012 as a standard conservative. These departures mean that almost the entire GOP Senate caucus will be composed of people elected after the tea party helped create the GOP’s current populist nature. Virtually all of these recently elected members are either hard conservatives or part of the GOP’s reformist wing, or both. The races to fill safe Senate seats such as Blunt’s will be the first indicator whether the party can find that sweet spot.

Source: Washington Post March 09, 2021 21:11 UTC