While Upton’s comments were intended to inspire Rice’s spirit, they also serve as a reality check for the remaining Republicans in favor of ousting the House of Representatives who are fighting for survival in competitive primaries: they support Trump’s ouster – and continue to strongly oppose publicly the former president, as Rice did – is politically dangerous in the current GOP. “You condemn King Ultra MAGA, you take the boot,” said the fancy Colorado-based Republican lawmaker Lauren Bobert, an ally of Trump and an ardent supporter of efforts to overthrow the 2020 election. The referral’s 10 – who still keep in touch through a group chat and offer advice and consolation to each other amid a barrage of attacks by Trump and his allies – are struggling with their own political survival after seeing him. their number to decrease. At least half of them will not return to Congress next year, with Rice losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger and four of them choosing to step down instead of leaving, although some of those decisions affected by redistribution. Now, in the hopes of stopping the bleeding, these remaining Republicans are trying to discern what lessons, if any, can be learned from Rice’s discouraging – if not somewhat expected – loss. There could be at least one bright spot for the group: California lawmaker David Valadao, who voted for Trump’s ouster but has since lowered his head, appears likely to have outscored a far-right opponent for a place in the general election. as the count continues from the first two state primary elections on June 7th. But Valadao did not have to compete with anyone who was ratified by Trump, and his district is far less conservative than Rice’s deep-red seat in northeastern South Carolina. “We have completely different types of constituencies, we have completely different types of electoral processes,” Valadao said. “Everyone handles their situation differently.” Upton was optimistic Sunday when asked by CNN’s Dana Bass about the “State of the Union” whether Republicans in the House would be willing to stand up to Trump after the midterm elections. “We will see when these qualifying elections are over. But I think there will be some of the 10 who will be standing,” he said. However, between Rice and Valadao, there is a growing consensus that the key to surviving Trump’s ouster is to silence public criticism and focus on supra-local issues. “If I were (Rice), I would have discussed the issues,” said MP Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina. “He and Trump essentially agreed on the issues. The best that could be done is to highlight the issues.” Republicans for the referral who are still staring at the key challenges later this summer seem to be following exactly that advice, reluctant to focus their campaigns on a book against Trump. MP Dan Newhouse, who represents the state of Washington, told CNN: “We have a strategy that focuses on the issues that matter most to my constituents. First-year spokesman Peter Meijer from Michigan said he was aware of the results of other races, but would not say how this affected his own campaign strategy. “Every region is different, every challenger is different. So I’re not going to go into the campaign strategy. But we’re paying close attention to what we’ve seen in other games,” he told CNN. Jaime Herrera Beutler, another Washington lawmaker who voted to oust Trump’s incitement to the Jan. 6 uprising, almost testified in the Senate trial after revealing what House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told her about his private conversation with Trump as a mob. invasion of the US Capitol. Since then, however, it has largely avoided the national spotlight and any discussion with Trump, choosing to return to its focus on local issues. Asked if she was worried that Rice’s primary defeat was a warning sign for her own race, Herrera Beutler told CNN: “I feel good about it.” Rice did not ask for comment and was not at the Capitol after his primary defeat. However, he turned to a familiar face to serve as his proxy for the vote: Meijer. A notable exception to the “keep your head down” strategy among Republicans for referral is Wyoming MP Liz. Cheney, who has not been punched since voting to oust Trump last year. Her continuing public criticism of Trump’s election lies cost Cheney her place in the leadership of the House GOP. And he has taken on a high-profile role on the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, serving as its vice president along with President Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi. Instead, most of the other 10 referrals kept the selection committee within breathing distance. Cheney and retired Illinois lawmaker Adam Kinzinger, who also serves on the panel, were the only Republicans to support the creation of the selection committee. And many of them have remained relatively silent about the piles of condemnatory revelations about Trump’s attempts to stay in power that became known during the commission’s series of public hearings. But most importantly, even the first two ads of Cheney’s campaign have lashed out at local issues – not her work on the Jan. 6 commission or warnings that Trump poses a threat to democracy. Cheney is considered the most vulnerable of the remaining Republican Republicans, with Trump and his allies working hard to defeat her in her red circle in Wyoming. However, strong names in the GOP establishment have lined up to support Cheney, who has created a huge war chest and is projecting himself as a champion for the Wyoming voters. However, Trump and his allies have taken advantage of Rice’s primary defeat as a sign of momentum for the MAGA wing. “The same thing will happen in Wyoming to Virginia’s resident Liz Cheney, who happened to be in South Carolina with ‘Referral Teacher’ Congressman Tom Rice, who lost as incumbent president by 28 points!” Trump posted on social media last week. Another recent example of walking on Trump’s tightrope is first-year MP Nancy Mays. In a brief split by Rice, Mays, also a Republican from South Carolina, won a primary rival backed by Trump after provoking the wrath of Trump, who strongly condemned his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, although Mays did not vote for referral. During her campaign, Mace stressed her conservative vote record, support for Trump’s policies, and the approval of other prominent Republicans, including former South Carolina Gov. Nicki Haley. Mays even shot a video outside the Trump Tower in New York, calling herself “one of the first Trump supporters.” While other incumbent Republicans have not gone that far, Mays has shown political advantages in mitigating her criticism of Trump in a competitive Republican primary. However, lawmakers warn that every region and race is different. And, unlike Rice, the GOP leadership was looking for ways to strengthen Meijer and Herrera Beutler, who represent constituencies that could influence the GOP’s effort to regain a majority in Parliament. However, even with the party leaders at their side, their victories are little guaranteed. “You have to work hard,” Upton said. “And the others, I mean, work very hard.” This story has been updated with additional feedback. CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.
