“An increasingly ugly GOP primary in the Keystone State that is giving Republicans in both Washington and Pennsylvania pause”
PENNSYLVANIA — A new article from CNN highlights how off-the-rails the “ugly” Republican primary has become, reporting that Republicans in DC and Pennsylvania have become concerned about the flawed field’s viability and that the race might become even more crowded. POLITICO Playbook and Weekly Score have also taken note of the disaster unfolding for the GOP in Pennsylvania.
The main driver of concern is the legal battles plaguing Trump-endorsed candidate Sean Parnell. The legal battles are prominently featured in a six-figure ad campaign from pro-Jeff Bartos Super PAC Jobs for Our Future.
No matter who wins, it’s clear that any hopes of a clean primary are out the window.
By Michael Warren and Sara Murray
(CNN) Sean Parnell may have the backing of former President Donald Trump, but the Pennsylvania Republican also has significant personal baggage that is raising concerns about the GOP’s ability to hold one of the most competitive Senate seats in the country next year.
A rival Republican candidate has revealed details about Parnell’s ongoing and messy divorce and custody cases, part of an increasingly ugly GOP primary in the Keystone State that is giving Republicans in both Washington and Pennsylvania pause. While it is unclear what Parnell’s estranged wife had alleged about him, documents showed she was granted two protective orders against him, though they were later expunged. But the news coverage in local papers of the revelations are prompting party leaders to privately question Trump’s choice to succeed retiring Sen. Pat Toomey in one of Democrats’ top-targeted seats.
As the 2022 midterm primaries approach, Trump is using the sway of his endorsement to reshape the party in his image, backing challengers to Republican incumbents who cross him or rewarding the most loyal candidates with his blessing. But questions around some of his chosen candidates — both their alleged pasts and their ability to clear the field in primaries — suggest there may be limits to the Trump effect.
***
CNN has learned that multiple GOP senators and donors are asking Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the powerful chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, about why his political consultants are also working with Parnell in the primary, according to three Republicans with knowledge of those conversations. The consultants in question hail from OnMessage, a campaign strategy firm who count Scott and Parnell among their many Republican clients.
And now, at least one additional credible Republican is considering entering the already crowded primary, three Republican sources familiar with the field tell CNN, because of concern about Parnell.
“His failure to coalesce party officials or party activists behind him is not a good sign. That should have happened already,” said one Pennsylvania-based Republican operative who is unaligned in the Senate race. “Parnell has not locked up the race.”
***
A messy legal fight
A retired Army Ranger and combat veteran with a Purple Heart, Parnell has been a prominent figure in conservative media after publishing his 2012 memoir about his Afghanistan War experience. He ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat outside of Pittsburgh in 2020 and spoke that year at the Republican National Convention.
Despite losing his House race, Parnell’s frequent appearances on Fox News and his close friendship with the Trump family, particularly with Don Jr., positioned him to run for the Senate once Toomey announced his retirement.
The problems for Parnell began just after Trump endorsed him on September 1.
Within a week, Jeff Bartos, a rival Republican candidate, published on a campaign website summary reports from the Butler County sheriff’s office showing that Parnell’s wife, who now goes by Laurie Snell, was granted two protection-from-abuse orders against him, in 2017 and 2018.
The attack from the Bartos campaign thrust this ongoing legal fight into the open, overshadowing the Trump endorsement and dominating local coverage of the Senate race ever since.
In Butler County, such orders are granted without the other party present on a temporary basis until a hearing with both parties takes place, according to the county sheriff’s office. Those who seek protection must be close family or intimate partners who claim to have been abused or threatened with such abuse.
A Butler County deputy sheriff confirmed to CNN the authenticity of the documents posted on Bartos’s website, which indicate that in both instances, Parnell was required to relinquish his firearms. In the case of the 2017 order, he was also required to the leave the house he shared with Snell. The documents indicate Parnell complied both times. In each instance, the protective orders only last for a few days each.
***
It’s unclear whether Trump and his political team were aware of the legal fight when he endorsed Parnell. When asked by CNN, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich did not answer directly, though he claimed that Parnell, who Trump Jr. had endorsed months earlier, received the endorsement after “careful consideration.”
“President Trump delivers the most sought after endorsement in politics after careful consideration of all the candidates,” said Budowich. “Sean raised more money from donors this past quarter than all of the other Republican candidates in the race combined and is on his way to a landslide victory in the primary and then in the general election.”
Despite Trump’s confidence in Parnell, fears persist among other Republicans who spoke to CNN that more embarrassing details could emerge out of the custody trial or if Snell decides to discuss the protective orders publicly. That could provide Parnell’s GOP rivals like Bartos and Carla Sands, Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark, who has poured significant personal resources into her campaign, more fodder for attacks against the Trump-backed candidate.
And the reports have left some Republicans uneasy about Parnell’s image. One worry is that Parnell wins the party’s nomination but is left weakened in the general election, particularly if Democrats can make a case that Parnell’s personal problems reflect a trend with certain GOP candidates.
###