While several wannabe GOP Senate candidates rush to Donald Trump’s defense following the Manhattan Grand Jury voting to indict the former president, David McCormick has been noticeably silent.
As noted in a report from NBC News, GOP candidates know how important it is to keep Trump happy, especially in tough primaries: “A year after Trump inserted himself heavily into competitive Senate primaries — in several cases elevating problematic nominees who went on to lose in winnable states — potential candidates remain sensitive about alienating the former president and the voters who look to him for guidance on down-ballot races.” No one knows this better than McCormick, whose failure to win over Trump and the MAGA base resulted in an embarrassing and costly loss to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Senate GOP primary.
As McCormick gears up for another Senate race and his allies hope to avoid another tough primary fight, he’s already doing everything he can to make it hard on himself. Failed gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is also eyeing the 2024 Senate race and would quickly make McCormick’s second attempt at the nomination a lot harder.
While Mastriano was quick to Trump’s defense on Thursday evening, McCormick’s silence has been deafening, and Mastriano and his allies have already noticed.
If McCormick wanted an easy path to victory in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary, this isn’t the best way to get it done.
Published: Mar 31, 2023