Walberg was always a popular figure with the Conservative base and Schauer couldn’t even muster a majority of the vote in his single victory in 2008. Tons of $$ wasn’t going to save him, but it would’ve been worse if hadn’t outraised Walberg as the sitting incumbent.
This is a different situation with Bentivolio, who merely lucked out by having decided to run against McCotter when he happened to be disqualified. Bentivolio, as the incumbent, should’ve outraised both Trotter and Kumar (Kumar at the very least) by now (as Schauer did). This is troublesome.
Bentivolio is the one Paulistinian who apparently can’t raise money for his campaign. That means that he’s a loose cannon who will come out in favor of legalizing heroin the second that L. Ron gives the word, will do nothing as Iran builds a nuclear arsenal, and *won’t even be able to avoid getting outspent by the Democrat*. Bentivolio fell ass-backwards into the House seat, getting the nomination because he was the only name on the ballot after McCotter imploded (no way would he have defeated Cassis had her name been on the ballot), and winning the general in the redrawn MI-11 largely because the RATs nominated a Muslim nobody because all potential first-tier and second-tier Democrats were scared off by McCotter having filed for reelection; as has been mentioned, Bentivolio lost the special election under the old lines to some nobody who at least didn’t have a Pakistani name.
Trotter is a conservative who takes the election seriously and will neither put the seat at risk nor cast loony Paultard votes once elected. That’s why Trotter will win the nomination. The Paulbots can still look to Rand and Massie in KY and, assuming that he survives his own difficult primary, Amash in MI-03, to lead the way before the next visit by the Hale-Bopp Comet or whatever it is that Ronulans are waiting for.