“The Infighting Only Intensified,” “Republicans Are Nervous,” “What The Hell Was He Thinking?” – Trump Spurs Weekend Of Chaos In GOP Senate Primaries

A wave of news coverage is highlighting how Trump continued to spur chaos in GOP Senate primaries this weekend – “taking a swipe” at McCory during a North Carolina rally, endorsing Oz in Pennsylvania where “the infighting only intensified,” and leaving Republicans “nervous” in Colorado after the party nominated a Trump-aligned election denier to appear on their primary ballot.

See for yourself:

In Colorado:

• AP: Colorado Republicans back election denier for Senate primary. “Colorado Republicans on Saturday voted to place on their U.S. Senate primary ballot a state representative who attended the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol and is a supporter of former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election.”

• Axios: Colorado GOP nominates election deniers to 2022 primary ballot. “State Rep. Ron Hanks, who crossed police lines at the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, qualified for the primary in the Senate race after a vote by party activists at the state assembly on Saturday… The GOP stance gave fuel to state Democrats.”

• Colorado Sun: Ron Hanks, who questions 2020 election results, beats 5 other candidates to make Colorado’s Republican U.S. Senate primary ballot. “Hanks also came under fire last year at the Colorado Capitol for joking about lynching and then saying an 18th century policy designating a slave as three-fifths of a person ‘was not impugning anybody’s humanity.’”

In North Carolina:

• WRAL: Trump’s staying power in NC politics at stake after rally bolstering hardline Republicans. “In his speech at Trump’s rally Budd referred to McCrory as a ‘two-time loser.’”

• WTVD: Former president Donald Trump holds rally in Selma Saturday endorsing NC lawmakers. “Last June, Trump publicly endorsed Budd at an NCGOP event in Greenville; Saturday, he continued to do so, taking a swipe at one of his key challengers, former Governor Pat McCrory.”

• News & Observer: Will Donald Trump run for president in 2024? He teases NC crowd during rally. “Trump mocked McCrory, calling him the ‘bathroom governor’ for his role in the controversy over whether people in North Carolina would be allowed to use a public restroom that doesn’t match their birth certificate.”

• WRAL (Editorial): America First’ rally puts truth last. “Trump made it a major point to both recognize and bring to the stage David MacIntosh who heads up the Club for Growth. That’s the operation that has pledged to pump at least $14 million into the GOP Senate primary to boost Trump-endorsed Ted Budd.”

In Pennsylvania:

• The Daily Beast: Trumpworld Goes Into Meltdown After Trump Endorses Dr. Oz. “The infighting only intensified as more conservative commentators and politicos lined up to take shots at Trump’s endorsement.”

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Donald Trump just endorsed Mehmet Oz in the Pa. Senate race, potentially shaping the GOP primary. “McCormick and his allies have spent tens of millions of dollars in TV ads tearing down Oz by questioning his commitment to conservative policies and describing him as a RINO, a Republican in Name Only. But McCormick had his own liabilities with the former president, including past criticism of Trump and praise for China’s economic growth when he was part of the George W. Bush administration.”

• NBC News: Oz endorsement puts Trump, and celebrity, to the test. “Trump’s endorsement doesn’t mean Oz is the instant frontrunner. Even Trump’s supporters were divided over the decision. Army veteran Sean Parnell, Trump’s first pick in the Senate race who dropped out after losing a custody battle and has backed McCormick, tweeted that Oz is ‘the farthest thing from America First.’”

• Washington Examiner: ‘What the hell was he thinking?’: Pennsylvania conservatives react to Trump’s support of Oz. “Ball says he fielded calls all day from conservatives unhappy with the former president’s decision.”

• Vice News: Trump Endorsed Dr. Oz and Republicans Are Pissed. “Republicans, even ones close to Trump, are not happy about it.”

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