Free Republic

Flirting with what some may see as political treason, bigwig Trump loyalists led by Stephen K. Bannon, Dave Bossie and Tony Perkins are considering “Never Trump” former Senate aide Boyd Matheson to replace Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch next year. Mr. Hatch, 83, has acknowledged thinking maybe it’s time to hang it up after 41 years in the Senate. Mr. Bannon has said he is determined to help show Mr. Hatch the door — maybe by backing Mr. Matheson, 51, for a primary run. “Boyd is considering it, regardless of Sen. Hatch’s decision (or anyone else’s decision for that matter),” Matheson...

Republicans on Capitol Hill fear that Stephen Bannon’s plan to wage primary challenges against incumbent senators will put their majority at risk in 2018. Senate GOP aides warn that Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, is not motivated by a desire to advance President Trump’s agenda, but instead by a quest to remake the GOP in his own, nationalist image. “If anyone misunderstands what Steve Bannon’s goal is, they have to open their eyes. He doesn’t care if we win or lose the Senate. He doesn’t care about the consequences for the president,” said one Senate Republican aide. “Mr. Bannon, it...

RUSH: On our Fourth Hour last week, we have made the news. Apparently, some Drive-Bys actually listened to it or heard about it. And both of them are at CNN. So up first I want to go back and play the segment from — and many of you haven’t heard this because this was exclusive to subscribers in our Fourth Hour last week. What day was that, Wednesday or Thursday of last week? Which day was it? It doesn’t really matter, but we did an hour-and-a-half commercial free, and part of what I said was this, sound bite number 2,...

Now President Trump's ex-White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is eyeing every Republican senator up for re-election next year, positioning candidates in each race save one, the seat belonging to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Bannon's main aim is to elect enough pro-Trump GOP senators to oust Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who he's largely blamed for the president's early stumbles with Congress, casting the Kentuckian as an elitist looking down at Trump's working class base. 'Mitch McConnell and this permanent political class is the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country,' Bannon said at a recent rally...