Where, Oh Where, Have All the MAGA Republicans Gone?

A funny thing has started happening as Election Day gets closer.

For years, Republican candidates couldn’t get close enough to Donald Trump. They wanted his endorsement, his picture on their websites, and a spot next to him at rallies wearing that dumb red hat. They defended his policies, repeated his talking points, and competed with one another to prove who was the most loyal member of the MAGA movement.

Now?

Well, where did everybody go?

Suddenly Trump is disappearing from campaign websites. Republican candidates are finding policies they disagree with. Some are reminding voters that suddenly now they’re “independent thinkers.” Others aren’t showing up for debates at all.

Funny what an election can do.

Everybody Was MAGA Until It Got Unpopular

This isn’t really an opinion either.

Reuters recently looked at 62 competitive races for Congress and found that 41 Republican candidates had either broken with Trump on at least one policy or tried to put some distance between themselves and the president. That’s two-thirds.

A dozen had removed Trump’s name, picture, or endorsement from their campaign websites, most after winning their Republican primaries. Others have skipped Trump events or avoided saying whether they even want him campaigning with them. (reuters.com)

Quite the transformation, wouldn’t you agree?

Not too long ago, getting Donald Trump’s endorsement could be the biggest moment of a Republican primary campaign! Now some candidates seem to be treating it like an embarrassing Facebook selfie from college.

And it’s definitely not hard to understand why.

Trump’s approval rating has cratered to 32 percent in Reuters/Ipsos polling, while Democrats lead Republicans nationally among registered voters. Republicans can read polls too. They know people are frustrated with high prices, rising fuel costs, and a war in Iran that’s hitting Americans in their wallets. (reuters.com)

So now, with votes actually being cast, they’re discovering something remarkable.

Independence.

The Curious Case of the Empty Podium

There’s another strange object appearing on campaign stages around the country this fall: an empty podium.

To be fair, candidates from both parties have skipped debates over the years. But right now, there’s a noticeable collection of Republicans deciding they’d rather not stand on a stage next to the Democrat asking voters for the same job.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico has accepted multiple debate invitations, including one from Fox News. Republican Ken Paxton can’t seem to find the time.

Then Donald Trump attacked Talarico and demanded that he debate Paxton. There was just one problem: Talarico had already been asking for one. Trump accidentally joined the Democrat in calling on Paxton to show up. (apnews.com)

Oops.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t agreed to debate his Democratic opponent either, despite participating in multiple debates during his previous campaigns. Most Republican nominees for statewide office in Texas have similarly ignored debate requests. (texastribune.org)

In Tennessee, Democrat Jerri Green held a forum after Republican Marsha Blackburn refused to debate her. The other podium stayed empty, the room filled to capacity, and do you know what the crowd started chanting? “Where’s Marsha?” (wpln.org)

Maybe that’s the question of the week.

Where the heck are all these Republicans who spent years telling us how eager they were to fight?

When the Talking Points Stop Working

At least Maryland Congressman Andy Harris showed up for his debate this week.

He may have wished he hadn’t.

Harris was asked about rising fuel costs and acknowledged that diesel prices had gone up. Then he started explaining why. According to Harris, the problem was Democrats and environmental regulations.

Before he could even finish the thought, people in the audience started cackling with laughter.

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Harris stopped his answer and confronted an audience member, repeatedly calling the person rude until the moderator stepped in. (mediaite.com)

There’s something VERY revealing about that moment.

The audience didn’t need a 30-second campaign ad or a carefully researched rebuttal. They laughed because eventually the old answers stop working.

Republicans control the White House. They control the House. They control the Senate. Donald Trump has been president again for nearly two years.

At some point, “It’s the Democrats’ fault” or “It’s Joe Biden’s economy” stopped being an explanation, and became a punch line.

The people in charge have to answer for what happened while they were in charge.

Minnesota Republicans Got the Memo Too

You don’t have to look far from home to see the same thing happening.

Earlier this summer, Minnesota Republican candidate for governor Lisa Demuth was asked twice to name a Trump policy she disagreed with. She couldn’t. Not a one. She was a-okay with it all.

Then September came, and Demuth called for an end to Trump’s war in Iran, saying it was hurting Minnesotans. Sudden change of heart Lisa?

Republican attorney general candidate Ron Schutz has started emphasizing that he won’t “take orders from President Trump.” Michele Tafoya spent the Republican primary licking all the boots she could lay her hands on seeking Trump’s endorsement, but after winning the nomination for U.S. Senate, she started describing herself as an “independent thinker” who won’t answer to party leadership. (startribune.com) Which just screams, “I independently agree with the Trump Administration”.

Again, funny what an election can do.

These candidates haven’t suddenly rejected everything Trump stands for. That’s what makes this whole thing so revealing. They’re trying to keep the parts of MAGA that helped them win Republican voters while creating just enough distance to win everyone else. It’s like watching a clown juggle.

They desperately want us to forget how loudly they cheered when these decisions were being made.

We won’t.

And Here in the Sixth?

That brings us home.

There still isn’t a debate scheduled between Doug Chapin and Tom Emmer. MN-06 Watch reports that Emmer’s campaign has been offered a debate, but there’s been no public commitment from Emmer or his campaign to participate. (mn06watch.com)

Doug is ready. Doug’s been ready.

If you want to represent hundreds of thousands of people in Congress, voters deserve the chance to see you standing next to the person asking for the same job. They deserve to hear both candidates answer the same questions about affordability, healthcare, gas prices, Iran, Social Security, Medicare, our democracy, and yes, Donald Trump.

No campaign staff answering for them. No carefully edited or AI augmented video. Just two candidates, some questions, and the voters they’ll answer to if elected.

That really shouldn’t be too much to ask. Apparently, Tom Emmer thinks it is.

Doug Joins The Parnas Perspective

While we’re talking about showing up and answering questions, Doug recently joined Aaron Parnas on The Parnas Perspective to talk about the November elections, the energy building across Minnesota’s 6th District, and why he’s running against Tom Emmer.

It’s another chance to hear directly from Doug about the race, what he’s hearing from voters across the district, and the choice voters will have this November.

Watch the interview here. Doug’s conversation begins around 9:25:

You Can’t Hide From Voters Forever

An empty podium doesn’t lower someone’s grocery bill. Taking Trump’s picture off a campaign website doesn’t undo a vote. Calling yourself an “independent thinker” three weeks before an election doesn’t erase everything you’ve supported for the last two years.

Eventually, voters get the final word.

And that’s why these next few weeks matter so much.

We’ve spent months talking about healthcare, costs, farmers, democracy, and what Tom Emmer has done with the power voters gave him. Now we’re entering the part of the campaign where talking about it isn’t enough.

We have to turn those conversations into votes.

Now We Finish the Job

There are less than three weeks until Election Day, and every door, phone call, and conversation matters.

You don’t have to be a political expert to canvass with us. You don’t have to memorize every issue or have every answer.

You’re a neighbor talking to another neighbor, and right now those conversations can make the difference between someone thinking about voting and actually making a plan to do it.

Can’t make it to a door knock? Pick up the phone!

Phone banking lets us reach voters across the district, identify supporters, answer questions, and make sure people know how and when to vote.

You can do it from home and every conversation helps!

For more details, head over to our Mobilize page for more information on how to get involved!

GOTV Is Almost Here

We’re also getting very close to the final phase of this campaign: Get Out the Vote.

GOTV efforts will soon be happening across Minnesota, with plenty of opportunities to get involved. Rather than trying to list every event here, the easiest way to find the latest door knocks, phone banks, volunteer shifts, and other GOTV events is through Mobilize.

As Election Day gets closer, the focus becomes simple: making sure voters have the information they need and a plan to cast their ballot.

Find a GOTV event, sign up for a shift, and learn more HERE

Now is the Time

We’re running out of weeks to say, “I’ll help next time.”

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, this is the time. Come knock doors. Make some calls. Bring a friend. Talk to your neighbors. Help us reach the voters who are still deciding, and when GOTV begins, help us finish this thing.

Because while Republicans around the country are suddenly trying to put distance between themselves and their records, their president, and sometimes even their own debate stages, we’re doing something much simpler.

We’re showing up.

At doors, on phones, at town halls, and in communities across the Sixth District.

And soon, at the polls.

They can run from MAGA. They can scrub their websites. They can leave the podium empty.

But they can’t hide from Election Day.

Let’s make sure we’re ready for it.

19 Days until Election Day. Make every one of them count!

#Flipthe6th #LFG #ReadyforBetter

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