A Liz Cheney Ally Is Trying to Cost Republicans the Senate in Missouri – Opinion

Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt is heading to a general election against Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine to fill an open Senate seat that the GOP needs to keep control of.

Schmitt is the favourite to win the heavily Republican state. However, there are attempts to make the GOP lose the seat by supporting John Wood (an independent candidate). But Wood isn’t just some random guy out there to spoil the race. He’s an ally of Liz Cheney and other NeverTrump Republicans, to the point where he was actually brought on to work for the January 6 Committee.

The House select committee in charge of investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has hired John F. Wood, a former U.S. attorney and a member of the George W. Bush administration, as its top legal adviser.

What is the point? The decision is part of a continued effort to make the committee nonpartisan and follows the elevation of Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney to serve as vice chairwoman on the panel.

Cheney himself praised Cheney for his efforts.

“John is an incredibly talented attorney, one of the most competent individuals I’ve worked with,” Cheney said in a phone interview. Wood worked with Cheney’s husband, Philip Perry, when both men served in various capacities during the administration of President George W. Bush. Wood served as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s general counsel until recently. “I’ve known John for a long time … I knew he could bring commitment to country and wisdom to this important duty.”

In return for this work and friendship, Wood’s wife made a $2,600 campaign contribution to Cheney’s re-election.

It’s all part of an overall NeverTrump initiative in Missouri. Another politician in the state, Sen. John “Jack” Danforth, made it a point to push and endorse Wood’s independent run back when it looked like disgraced former governor Eric Greitens (whose campaign was being run by President Donald Trump’s future daughter-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle) might win the Republican primary. Danforth is one of the most NeverTrump politicians in the state, but even though Greitens lost the primary to Schmitt, he’s not letting up.

The political action committee backing independent Senate candidate John Wood is “in it to win it,” former Sen. Jack Danforth said a day after the PAC spent another $750,000 on TV ads to run before the Aug. 2 primary.

On June 6, Danforth donated $5 million to Missouri Stands United. By June 24, ads featuring Danforth talking on the need for a better path had been airing in Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City.

Monday’s ad buy, which brought the PAC’s television expenditure to $2.2million, took place entirely in Kansas City, St. Louis, and St. Louis. The PAC is the third largest TV spender in the Senate race for retiring Senator Roy Blunt and has already spent more than any other candidate committee.

Danforth says it’s not a spoiler race, but that’s clearly what Wood’s impact could be.

Wood worked as the senior investigative counsel at the Select Committee to Investigate January 6 Attack on U.S. Capitol, before his election to the Senate.

Danforth explained that Wood will win if he makes the future of democracy his main concern.

Missouri Stands United ads stress that extremism is a threat to democracy in both the major parties.

Danforth stated that this message can transcend any views and unite Republicans and Democrats, as well as independent voters.

“Make the future of democracy the main issue” is not a Republican line. That’s a Democrat line directly attacking Trump and Trump voters. It’s an admission that this is more about punishing Trump and Trump’s supporters than anything else. Schmitt is a conservative cause that you should support. Support an independent to help draw Republican voters away if you are trying to undermine conservatives.

Luckily, nothing in polling data suggests that Wood’s impact will be enough to cost Schmitt, but it doesn’t make the latter’s job any easier.

So, even if Liz Cheney isn’t going back to Washington D.C. as a Representative, her impact is still being felt in other races that could hurt the Republican Party. And for the NeverTrump politicians who can’t seem to move on, that’s all this is about. You can punish the party and their supporters.

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