Looking ahead to November elections, probably the biggest concern facing Democrats is whether they’ll be able to keep their extremely narrow hold on the Senate majority. Right now, the Senate is a 50/50 split between Republicans and Democrats (plus Independents, who caucus with the Dems). The only reason the Democrats are even considered to have a majority is because it’s up to Vice President Kamala Harris to break any ties. That means we cannot lose even one seat in the fall. Republicans have already made spiteful obstructionism their #1 priority—if they gain a majority, that’s the end of basically any hopes of passing meaningful legislation for the foreseeable future.
Thanks to a number of factors ranging from inflation to President Joe Biden’s low polling numbers, Democrats’ chances of holding onto that slim majority have not looked great. But in recent months, a new obstacle has crept up for Republicans that even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has had to acknowledge: All their candidates suck.
At a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce luncheon (read: a big money event) this week, McConnell was asked for his November predictions. He responded: “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different—they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”
“Candidate quality” is such a pointed phrase. It would not be unusual for McConnell to make some sort of vague excuse for poor Republican voter outcomes that shifts blame onto Democrats. Here, he’s straight-up acknowledging, in the most polite way possible, that the candidates they have on ballots are not good ones.
Which low-quality Republicans are running in November?
Obviously, the lowest-quality candidate Republicans have up for a Senate seat is Dr. (Mehmet) Oz, who is running a disastrous campaign in Pennsylvania, despite famously living in New Jersey. Oz, a longtime TV wellness grifter, has spent months giving nonsensical Fox News interviews, going viral for embarrassing attempts at everymanism, and just generally being trounced and trolled by his opponent John Fetterman.
Oz: He’s known for hanging a pot flag outside the window… I knew from the gay one, you work hard… pic.twitter.com/bk2Lz2DyIw
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 19, 2022
In PA, we call this a Veggie Tray.
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 17, 2022
If this looks like anything other than a Veggie Tray to you, then I am probably NOT your candidate lol
Get in on the joke with me – Will you make a campaign contribution of ANY amount before the end of the night? https://t.co/wMyObj0ZNA pic.twitter.com/LHhNx0DNwv
Democrat John Fetterman raised over $1 million off GOP rival Mehmet Oz’s ‘crudité’ gaffe, campaign says https://t.co/jgTtrXNDgY
— MSN (@MSN) August 19, 2022
Dr. Oz might be Republicans’ highest-profile low-quality candidate but he’s hardly the only one bringing down the party’s chances of flipping the Senate.
In Georgia, former NFL star Herschel Walker is trying to oust Democratic relative newcomer Raphael Warnock, but his campaign has been plagued with negative coverage thanks to everything from his past partnership with a scammy energy company to the fact that a man running on “family values” keeps having a new secret, shunned child pop up every few months.
McConnell is also likely talking about J.D. Vance—aka the Hillbilly Elegy guy—in Ohio, who is constantly sharing terrible and out-of-touch takes online.
There are a few other Senate candidates across the country that have Donald Trump’s backing, which was clearly enough for them to dominate GOP primaries, but ultimately, hopefully, might prove to be too low quality to actually win in November.
Mitch McConnell is a horrible, self-serving, power-hungry grifter, but he’s also a realistic, numbers-driven politician. If even he thinks these candidates aren’t winners, that’s a really good sign.
(image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
