Republicans court disaster

For the U.S. House seat, Trump acolytes Matt Mowers and Karoline Leavitt are leading the polls. To put them in political perspective, Leavitt’s central theme is her fealty to former President Donald Trump. “I believe (the election) was stolen, I really do,” she says. Mowers lost to U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in 2020, and his primary opponents are savaging him over his ties to big pharma and that in 2016 he voted twice, in New Hampshire and New Jersey.

So where are the mainstream Republicans of old? The Charlie Basses, the Judd Greggs, the Warren Rudmans? Way, way down in the polls.

Russell Prescott is the establishment candidate in the congressional race. He’s a model Republican: owns a small business, is a former state senator and executive councilor. He’s backed by moderates, including state Sen. Jeb Bradley (who this paper every two years calls the most effective legislator in N.H.), and local conservatives Henry Mock and Shane McKinney.

Despite that, Prescott is sitting at about 5 percent in the polls.

In the U.S. Senate race, the establishment candidate is Chuck Morse. Also a small business owner, he is president of the N.H. Senate. Locally, he’s supported by Republican icon Gene Chandler, a former House speaker and longtime Bartlett selectman.

Morse is doing relatively better than Prescott in the polls but still has a long climb; he’s about 15 points behind Bolduc.

This paper months ago said it would not endorse any candidate who supports former President Trump. We pride ourselves on giving voice to views at both ends of the political spectrum, but Trump tried to overturn a legitimate election, undermining the very fabric of our democracy. Given the chance, there is every indication he will try it again. Just last week he demanded to be reinstated as president and said he would pardon hundreds of convicted rioters who stormed the Capitol. It is almost disappointing that otherwise rational Republicans cannot see that he is not only detached from reality but dangerous.

This paper had the pleasure of interviewing many of the hopefuls in this year’s election cycle and were particularly impressed with congressional candidate Gail Huff Brown and senatorial candidates Kevin Smith and Vikram Mansharamani. That none of them have the courage to speak truth to power, or at the very least, tactically set themselves up for a healthier post-Trump Republican Party is baffling.

Instead, the Republican faithful can look forward to extreme right-wing candidates after next Tuesday’s primary and a thumping in the general election Nov. 8.