Instead of listening to everyday voters, PA Republicans are focused on divisive culture war and far-right fringe
PENNSYLVANIA — Our commonwealth faces a once-in-a-generation pandemic that has disrupted the lives of Pennsylvania families. Our minimum wage is tied for the lowest in the country, and our infrastructure gets a failing grade — but despite losing the White House, Pennsylvania Republicans refuse to respond to these challenges. Instead they are running further toward the fringe of their party responsible for the Big Lie and the January 6th insurrection.
From POLITICO: Pennsylvania GOP launches ‘super MAGA Trump’ primary
The likely GOP candidates in Pennsylvania’s open Senate race come in three familiar flavors: anti-Trump, Trumpy and Trumpiest.
Though President Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania in 2020 and will have been out of office for nearly two years by the time voters cast their ballots in the Senate election, the Republican primary here is already revolving around him — creating a potential dilemma for the GOP in one of the nation’s most important races next year.
Multiple former Trump administration officials are eyeing the Senate seat. One likely contender has close ties to the Trump family that could give him a major leg up in the primary. Behind the scenes, other candidates have fostered relationships with former Trump aides or are working hard to develop them.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania Republicans go big on culture wars while Biden pushes big spending
For a fractured party still trying to find its way after Trump’s presidency, the activity in Harrisburg suggests that, at least in Pennsylvania, Republicans are most comfortable leaning into divisive social issues — some old, some new, and some, like voting laws, that have come to blend longstanding political disputes with new cultural grievances.
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The focus on hot-button culture issues in some ways contrasts the party’s response to the last Democratic president. While much of the backlash to President Barack Obama was intertwined with race — Trump, among many others, spread false claims about Obama’s birthplace — the GOP also rallied against the cost of his economic stimulus package and the government expansion in his healthcare law.
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