When Bannon left the White House, he promised to go to war with the Establishment. Now, the Establishment plans to go to war with him.
Steve Bannon has already been lobbing shots at the Republican establishment and so far his efforts have been paying off. Already this autumn, two establishment Republicans have been pushed out of office even in spite of strong establishment credentials and support. The early success of Bannon’s war with the establishment has rattled Mitch McConnell and his allies in Washington, and now the Establishment is looking to strike back.
Bannon forced Senator Jeff Flake to forego seeking reelection in Arizona.
When Bannon left the White House, he promised to go to war with the Establishment. Bannon secured two crucial victories early-on in his war against the Republican establishment. First, he defeated establishment darling Luther Strange in Alabama. With Bannon’s help, former Alabama Supreme Court member and firebrand Roy Moore defeated the sitting Senator and his establishment backers.
Then, Bannon (among others) forced Senator Jeff Flake to forego seeking reelection in Arizona. Flake had proven to be perhaps the most vocal anti-Trump Republican members of Congress. With populist momentum building behind Kelli Ward, Flake decided not to get into a drawn out and likely bloody battle with Bannon and friends.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which is closely aligned to McConnell, is now planning to go after Bannon directly.
These victories have rattled the establishment-wing of the Republican Party. In particular, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell and the super-PACs that back him are worried that if the establishment ranks are further diluted, they may no longer be able to control the Republican Party.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which is closely aligned to McConnell, is now planning to go after Bannon directly. It’s a risky move. He is not up for election. Attacking him personally may not produce much in the way of results. Yet at the same time, the Establish clearly has to do something if they want to remain in power.
The Senate Leadership Fund has a straightforward strategy: link Bannon to white supremacy, discredit him, and then extend the attacks to the politicians he supports. The Senate Leadership Fund will also support establishment Republicans.
The Senate Leadership Fund is one of the most cash-rich PAC’s in DC. In 2016, the fund raised over $115 million for the election cycle. Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has been the Fund’s biggest supporter. Other ultra-rich Conservatives have also donated large sums to the PAC.
Many Party Insiders are worried not only about fending off Bannon’s populist movement, but also that Democrats could use the disunity to defeat Republicans.
Yet voters are increasingly wary of attempts to buy votes through big spending. Hillary Clinton spent huge sums but still lost to Trump. More recently, the Senate Leadership Fund threw its support behind Alabama Senator Luther Strange. Again, the money didn’t matter as Strange was defeated by the Bannon-backed Roy Moore.
There are strong anti-establishment yearnings across the political spectrum.
Republicans only have control of the Senate by a tiny 52-48 majority. Many Party Insiders are worried not only about fending off Bannon’s populist movement, but also that Democrats could use the disunity to defeat Republicans. With the majority so thin as it is, any distractions could quickly snowball into losses.
Further, many DC Republicans are worried that taking on Bannon and his movement directly could backfire. There are strong anti-establishment yearnings across the political spectrum. Any efforts to defend the Establishment could lead to a backlash. As Strange’s battle in Alabama came to a head, many establishment GOP’ers tried to give the Senator more room. However, it wasn’t enough, too many voters saw Strange as an establishment stooge and voted against him.
