Yet another House incumbent loses in a primary
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Michigan this week, incumbent Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar lost his primary to state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a democratic socialist. McKinney is now heavily favored to win the Detroit-area district in fall.
While Thanedar’s defeat is notable in its own right, the larger pattern is remarkable: Historically, U.S. House members have rarely faced credible primary rivals, and when they have, incumbents only lost when they were burdened by serious scandals. This year, however, Thanedar is one of eight members of Congress who’ve lost in primaries, including Democrats such as Colorado’s Diana DeGette and New York’s Dan Goldman, and Republicans such as Texas’ Dan Crenshaw and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie.
* In North Carolina, where Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards announced his unexpected retirement following a House Ethics Committee investigation, the GOP executive committee in the 11th District is scheduled to meet next week to choose a new nominee.
* Speaking of scandal-plagued incumbents, Republican Rep. Cory Mills is moving forward with his re-election plan in Florida, though two of his fellow Florida Republicans — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos — announced this week that they’re supporting Mills’ primary rival, Ryan Elijah.
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Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
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