As reported Monday by AFN, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said during a recent speech in Kentucky that he thinks Republicans have a lukewarm chance of flipping the Senate in November, citing "candidate quality" as a factor. Polls have shown Democratic candidates hold a lead in many of the key races that will ultimately decide the balance of power in the Senate chamber.
McConnell, a fixture in both Kentucky and Capitol politics for decades – as well as a former chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee – was criticized for essentially underselling the GOP's candidates by making what one pundit described as "one of the most foolish, most disheartening comments a leader could make."
The Hill argues that McConnell's "candidate quality" comment was a veiled reference to Trump-backed Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and Arizona who have struggled to pull ahead of their Democratic opponents in recent polls, causing concern for Republicans who are looking to take control of the 50-50 Senate.
The website FiveThirtyEight predicts Democrats are "slightly favored" to win the Senate in November and retain their majority status – in part because "in a few key races, Republicans have selected weak candidates."
Bypa$$ the party
Rob Chambers with AFA Action has a recommendation for conservative voters who are concerned about McConnell's attitude about the midterms.
"Do not give to the national or state party – give directly to the candidate," he counsels. "If you give money to that campaign committee, they turn around and allocate those resources to establishment-style, non-conservative Republicans in the primary – and they suppress the possibility or decrease the likelihood of a more conservative candidate prevailing in the primary."
Chambers recalls that RNC Chair Rona McDaniel got called to task last summer for promoting the LGBT agenda. "And [that's why] AFA Action's position has been send the money directly to the candidate that you believe best represents your values, beliefs, and convictions," he tells AFN.
McConnell's remarks aside, he has endorsed GOP senatorial candidates J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Herschel Walker (Georgia) – both of whom are in tight races against current Democratic office holders.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
