Gary Peters is up against John James, a conservative U.S. Army Veteran.
James ran against Debbie Stabenow in 2018 and lost 46% to 52%.
I think James may do better against Peters, especially in the Blue counties of Wayne and Genesee.
Posted on 01/23/2020 8:46:43 AM PST by Kaslin
The media keep suggesting it's Republicans who might switch sides, but here are some Democrats who might not want to side with Adam Schiff's weak impeachment effort.
Last week, CNN’s Manu Raju asked Sen. Martha McSally whether she would acquiesce to Democratic demands for more witnesses and evidence in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. The Republican from Arizona declined to answer the question, calling him a “liberal hack.” Raju, who published articles promoting the Russia collusion hoax and other Democratic efforts, was vociferously defended by his colleagues. Jake Tapper said Raju was reasonably asking the “question of the day.”
In a way, he was. The question of the day in a media filled with activists tends to be the Democratic question of the day, with the effect of helping advance that party’s narratives and objectives. And so it has been with the media rush to pin down Republican senators that Democrats have targeted. That’s why McSally was being run down in the hallways. Other “Republican senators to watch,” we keep being told, include Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and Cory Gardner of Colorado.
The media and Democrats have different reasons for targeting each. Murkowski is an independent who is easily swayed by Democrats. Collins is a moderate who didn’t even vote to convict President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial, even though he’d clearly perjured himself and obstructed justice. Still, Democrats hope that her notorious concern for propriety might be exploited along the way as they seek to save an impeachment for which an acquittal is a foregone conclusion. Plus, Collins is running for re-election.
Romney is out of step with his party related to Trump, and Alexander is a lame duck who also never cottoned to Trump. Gardner, like Collins in Maine, is in a tough re-election campaign in Colorado. These are the senators the media and Democrats hope will change their votes. They like to hope for things.
Yet reporters rarely if ever talk about Democrats’ mirror image problems here. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is, like Romney, out of step with his party on Trump. Yet both are likely to vote against impeachment. Gardner and Collins are in tough re-elects, yes, in states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
Gary Peters of Michigan is in a state that Trump won and is competitive heading into this election. The media focus on Collins and Gardner — and not Peters — because they want Collins and Gardner to lose.
Yet impeachment isn’t popular in Michigan, and voters who had planned to split their vote may find it more difficult if Peters sides with partisans such as impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, the man who perpetrated the Russia collusion hoax. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Tina Smith of Minnesota face a similar problem, in states Hillary Clinton eked out narrow victories in and which are expected to be competitive.
I spoke about this the other night on television.
.@MZHemingway on @GaryPeters and vulnerable red-state Democrats:
“We don’t even talk about how this might be tough that they’re expected to side with someone who’s know as such a partisan, like Adam Schiff.” pic.twitter.com/6dkLGEUV1Q
— Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) January 22, 2020
Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama is extremely unlikely to win his reelection bid, but as his previous election showed, it all depends on who his opponent is. He may not want to seal his fate by siding with impeachers in a state Trump won by nearly 30 points.
Another Democratic senator to watch is McSally’s colleague in Arizona, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema has surprised observers with her efforts to reach out to Republican constituents. Votes in support of Trump’s impeachment conviction aren’t her brand.
One ridiculous thing about adopting this Democratic framing about Republican senators to watch is that the House just had impeachment proceedings and not a single Republican joined them, no matter how much they dislike Trump, no matter how moderate they are, no matter if they are leaving office. Not a single one.
By comparison, 31 Democrats joined with Republicans to impeach Clinton. In Trump’s case, the only bipartisan coalition was the one opposed to his impeachment. Three Democrats failed to support their party’s impeachment effort. It would be one thing if Democrats had played their hands in such a way as to take the Resistance-fueled support for Trump’s impeachment and build on it by developing a solid case. That movement never appeared, no matter how much push polling media organizations engaged in.
Another problem is that vulnerable Republican senators face at least as much pressure to not cave to Schiff as anything else. Consider the 2016 election, in which the inside-the-beltway crowd advised Republican candidates to separate themselves from Trump. Feel free to ask former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, an absolute darling of the D.C. establishment, how following that advice turned out for her.
Or look at Joe Heck, whose renunciation of Trump in the closing days of his Nevada race for a Senate seat sealed his fate as well. Compare them to Roy Blunt of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana. Blunt eked out a win in a state Trump won easily and Young trounced his opponent in Indiana. And these results occurred before Trump became an incredibly popular president among Republican voters.
Looked at this way, Collins and Gardner — and specifically Gardner — aren’t in tough positions at all. They might not win their races, but they’ll be more likely to lose them if they get behind Schiff’s impeachment. Collins does have stature as a long-time senator and a notorious moderate. Gardner would absolutely lose if he were to help Schiff. He can’t afford to lose Republican voters in his state.
It is worth noting that McSally stopped being presented non-stop as a “senator to watch” when she shut down Raju, perhaps because partisans figured they would be less able to pressure her than they had hoped.
Outside of Washington, D.C., and in swing states and contested states, impeachment isn’t popular. The media can go ahead and reflect that reality and start asking some tough questions of a half dozen or so Democratic senators as well.
It always cracks me up when everyone talks about republican senators that could bail on the President, but nobody every mentions that some Democrats could do the same to the Schiff show. They are not stupid robots. They want to be re-elected.
Yep, would be a shocker to have Sinema, Manchin, and Jones vote to acquit.
Assuming all GOP votes to acquit (fair assumption) that makes it 56-44 not guilty bipartisan verdict.
That horrible bastard Romney will stab Trump in the back. Just hide and watch. Thanks UTAH.
There won’t be any dem votes to acquit. They’ll vote in lockstep. I think there’s a better chance 2 or 3 republicans will vote with the dems for conviction...Romney for certain.
Gary Peters is up against John James, a conservative U.S. Army Veteran.
James ran against Debbie Stabenow in 2018 and lost 46% to 52%.
I think James may do better against Peters, especially in the Blue counties of Wayne and Genesee.
All the Rats are looking for is a Majority number of 51 to Convict. That is all that matters knowing they won’t get 67 Votes.
Then they ride into the 2020 Election saying that a Majority of the Republican Controlled Senate thinks POTUS Trump is Guilty.
The number of Votes to Impeach Clinton on one Charge never got past 50, while the other Charge only netted 45. That was with a mountain of Evidence against him.
I remember at the time the cries of “we will have a Constitutional Crisis if the Senate Votes to Convict”. This time around Crickets. What a sham.
By their deeds , ye shall know them!!!
Yup. James has a better chance against Peters than he had against Stabenow. With Trump running, he ought to win.
Ok?
2-3 arent enough. They gain nothing, and lose everything if they do.
“Then they ride into the 2020 Election saying that a Majority of the Republican Controlled Senate thinks POTUS Trump is Guilty.”
You do know that makes no logical sense even for them, nor will resonate with anyone of significance?
Yes...I’m betting on it!
I think this might be a tough nut to crack for JJ.
Gary has stayed below the radar and, honestly, has worked as best he can for his constituency. Notable are his action and remarks regarding agricultural legislation. Yes, he has followed suit in his caucus but has not come out “guns ablazin” after each anti-Trump vote that fell along party lines.
I’ve known Gary to an opportunist, politically, but he does have a tendency to take his job seriously and represent our Michigan “well” in the current climate. I don’t see many, if any, D votes moving away from Gary.
That said, I will be voting for JJ. As well as revealing that Gary and I attended Alma College together and pledged to the same fraternity; I have a pleasant personal history with Sen. Peters. We have had little contact after college.
>>>You do know that makes no logical sense even for them, nor will resonate with anyone of significance?<<<
You give the other side too much credit my FRiend. Logical has nothing to do with what the modern day Democrat Party says or does.
It will motivate their Base and it will motivate the Ignorant Voters being spoon fed the Rat Propaganda. All that matters is getting the Votes for whatever Stalin Claus the Rats choose to run against POTUS Trump.
Manchin and Jones have been voting with the the dems so far. I suspect that McConnell compromised on the impeachment format to not upset squishy GOP senators.
I think you are right. Because in the world of identity politics, James skin color should trump Peters’ peter.
I love this article and wish it had exposure everywhere in the media. Heck, even Fox News doesn’t bring Democrats up as possible votes for not kicking Trump out. It is frustrating. I try to run my mouth on this on twitter, but nobody seems to care much.
I might believe that IF some of the House Republicans did. But does he REALLY want to be the ONLY one to vote against the party. Really????? I mean I know he is worthless but that seems a bit much to see happen. Now if others also vote for it then I can see him getting on board, but to be the only one? I can’t see it.
Collins, McSally, are very lucky to be on the ticket with Trump....that Might be there only saving grace. Although Collins has that stupid rank voting which could result in the second place person winning. I think at least one Maine candidate who won the outright vote but lost after the second place person’s tally were counted. The second place person won and the Democrats always scream about democracy. Ha. Yep the Republican won, but once rank voting took place, the Democrat won. I was pissed but everyone seemed to let it go. Same with that harvesting votes nonsense. I hope the Republicans are going full harvest this cycle. We need so much harvesting that it is overwhelming....lol. (And I could care less if it is illegal. We need to fight the Democrats at their own game).
Harvesting is legal in California, I don’t think it is in Maine.
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