Happy Anniversary: One year ago today, GOP soured on Cramer’s candidacy
(BISMARCK, ND) – Just one year ago today, the Republican Party’s handwringing over a potential Kevin Cramer candidacy reached a fever pitch – as internal for concern that his Todd Akin tendencies could tank his campaign bubbled over.
Failing a nearly year-long effort to recruit a more viable candidate, now-GOP endorsed Cramer has proved their concerns valid – continuing to use outrageous rhetoric and put politics before North Dakota. He even suggested that voting against the president is like cheating on a spouse the very day he chose to side with the president over North Dakota farmers on potentially backbreaking tariffs.
Highlights from CNN’s story, one year ago today:
CNN: Nervous about GOP congressman, Republicans woo new North Dakota Senate candidate
- Senior Senate GOP officials have grown concerned that Rep. Kevin Cramer’s penchant for controversial remarks could damage their chances at one of the party’s most prized opportunities to pickup the crucial seat occupied by Heitkamp, a rare Democratic statewide officeholder in the conservative state. Cramer’s latest remark: Defending Sean Spicer this week in the aftermath of the White House spokesman’s widely condemned comments about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.
- The maneuvering comes as some influential Republicans now are fearful that Cramer could damage their chances if he commits gaffes like GOP candidate Todd Akin did in 2012 when he cost his party a chance to pickup the Missouri Senate seat.
- “On paper, it looks like he could win, but he also appears to have a few Akin-like tendencies that make a lot of people nervous,” said one Senate GOP campaign veteran, who, like other top Republicans, asked for anonymity to assess the field candidly.
- Cramer has made other controversial remarks in the past, including after Democratic women wore white to highlight the women’s suffrage movement during Trump’s speech to Congress earlier this year. Cramer called them “poorly dressed” with “bad-looking white pantsuits.”
