After two months of heated primaries, the ongoing war between party factions is entering a new stage as Reps. Nancy Mace and Bob Good fight for reelection.

By Ally Mutnick

06/11/2024 05:00 AM EDT

The Republican establishment has plowed millions of dollars this year into primaries to produce what it views as a less dysfunctional House GOP conference. It’s still got a long way to go.

Major Republican leaders and donors have notched some key victories in their ongoing war against far-right insurgents who threaten the ability to govern as a unified party. But even those successes have come at a cost: the enormous amount of effort, money and time it’s taken to push their candidate over the finish line.

That raises the stakes for the upcoming battles over the next few weeks: a GOP congressmember with an opponent endorsed by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.); open red seats in Colorado and North Dakota; and two stops on Kevin McCarthy’s revenge tour.

“You’ve got to fight fire with fire,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who joined a coalition mobilizing against House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) after Good endorsed Bacon’s primary challenger. “I don’t really like that generally. ‘Turn the other cheek’ is a better philosophy, but not in this situation.”

In a House likely to be controlled by just a few seats, any potential rabble-rouser who joins Congress in 2025 could single-handedly derail House Republicans’ already limited ability to work together.

Good, one of the eight who ousted McCarthy, has one of the most contested primaries this month. Bacon said he’s urged his donors to support Good’s opponent, John McGuire, with the pitch: “Do you want to help out somebody that will change the House for the better? More collegiality and teamwork and less infighting.”

The plan to reshape the caucus is two-fold. Players aligned with current and former party leaders, and donors seeking a more functional Republican conference, are spending in open seats to block potentially problematic candidates. They are also attempting to prune the existing problems by working against incumbents who have stymied the majority’s attempts to govern.

It was a task that became even more urgent after eight members joined forces to depose McCarthy in October and after Gaetz and his allies took the extraordinary step of backing hard-line challengers to other GOP incumbents.

Republican leaders and their allies are eager to avoid a repeat of the intra-party warfare that plagued this Congress.

Mainstream GOP groups supporting that goal have so far played particularly heavily in three states: Indiana, Texas and North Carolina. They had some big wins — like saving moderate Rep. Tony Gonzales from a controversial hard-right challenger in Texas — but also disappointing losses, like Mark Harris’ nomination in a safely Republican seat in North Carolina.

But two of the upcoming races are more personal.
Continuing fallout from Kevin McCarthy’s ouster

The first primary for the eight Republicans who dethroned McCarthy comes Tuesday, as Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina attempts to fend off a challenge backed by the former speaker’s allies.

Her top challenger is Catherine Templeton, a former candidate for South Carolina governor. Templeton herself has spent more on TV ads than the incumbent, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. But the biggest spending has come from an array of super PACs on either side of the primary. Templeton is backed by several well-funded outside groups, including Winning for Women, which had endorsed Mace in 2022, and three groups with ties to McCarthy allies. Those groups have poured a combined $5.1 million in the race, outspending the Club for Growth and another pro-Mace group, which have spent $3 million. Mace secured the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, which likely helps her chances. But if she doesn’t clear 50 percent on Tuesday, she is heading to a runoff later this month.
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Across the state, McCarthy’s ouster inspired a different primary challenge.

Rep. William Timmons, a third-term incumbent, faces a stiff primary challenge from state Rep. Adam Morgan, a co-founder of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus who said he’s running because of Timmons’ support for McCarthy.

“That’s a huge stain on his record,” Morgan told POLITICO when he launched in November.

“He’s got Matt Gaetz, and I’ve got Trump,” Timmons said, comparing their dueling endorsements. “I vote conservative, and I get things done. That’s what people want in my district. They don’t want a loud mouth that’s searching for clicks, and I’ll never be that person.”

It’s a two-candidate race with no runoff potential that has received far less attention than Mace’s, but it’s giving some top GOP operatives angst.

The American Action Network and another establishment-aligned group, America Leads Inc., have pumped some $1.2 million into boosting Timmons. But GOP strategists believe the race could be close. Morgan has narrowly outspent Timmons on TV ads.

The week after the South Carolina primary, McCarthy’s allies are hoping to oust Good, the Virginia Republican who voted to depose the former speaker. Good also crossed Trump by endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, and his status as a thorn in the side of multiple major players has made him one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents this primary season. First elected in 2020, Good has only won his central Virginia district through party conventions. But the district’s 2024 nominee will be chosen via primary, meaning Good’s reelection will be decided by Republican voters — and not just a small number of GOP delegates, who tend to be more hard-line conservative.

The odds are stacking up against Good. Trump backed his opponent, and MAGA allies have lined up to help. The incumbent raised $291,000 in April and May compared with McGuire’s $744,000. McGuire has spent some $1.3 million on ads, according to AdImpact, while Good has spent less than $3,000.

In a brief interview, Good lashed out at the people supporting his challenger, saying they want to compromise with Democrats.

“I’m certain that speaker McCarthy has committed his life’s work to try and exact revenge on the people he holds responsible for him not being speaker, except himself,” Good said. “Which is the reason he’s not speaker — he needs to look in the mirror.”
Republicans are worried about a slew of other upcoming races

Outside of McCarthy’s revenge tour, Republican operatives are nervously watching primaries this month in Colorado and North Dakota.

Tuesday’s open contest for North Dakota’s at-large congressional district has drawn warring endorsements and support from major GOP players. Trump, Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. John Hoeven have all endorsed Julie Fedorchak over Rick Becker, who is backed by Club for Growth and recently compared his style to “a bull in a china shop.” Conservatives for American Excellence, a super PAC funded by GOP megadonors, has spent more than $660,000 to block Becker.

But the most concerning race for the GOP’s governance wing is in the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based seat from which Rep. Doug Lamborn is retiring. Establishment-minded Republicans there have assembled against Dave Williams, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party.

The state party sent out an email signed by Williams last week titled “God Hates Pride,” that described LGBTQ+ people as “godless groomers” and “creeps.” Members of the state GOP central committee have asked Williams to resign and plan to call a special meeting to oust him.

Two super PACs, America Leads Action and Conservatives for American Excellence, have spent nearly $1.3 million in ads to stop Williams from winning the seat. One of the spots knocks Williams for diverting $50,000 in state party money toward his congressional campaign.

“It’s embarrassing for the Colorado Republican Party. Dave Williams would be an embarrassment for that district in Congress,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who endorsed Williams’ opponent Jeff Crank and is going to campaign for him this month.

“Colorado Springs is the last bastion of conservatism in the state of Colorado,” Banks said, “and they’re looking for somebody who’s going to go to Washington and be effective.”

Two other open seats in Colorado have also drawn intrigue.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) abandoned her 3rd District to run for retiring Republican Rep. Ken Buck’s seat in the 4th District. Top GOP operatives would love to oust Boebert, who has inflamed party tensions with her combative personality. But she has high name ID and has spent $275,000 on ads, while no opponent has spent more than $50,000.

Boebert’s current 3rd District, meanwhile, is normally GOP-friendly terrain. But both sides see far-right candidate Ron Hanks as controversial enough to put the seat in play. A group with ties to Democrats has been meddling in the Republican primary to boost Hanks, who has been outspent by his Republican rivals in the race but could have residual name ID from his failed 2022 Senate campaign.

Hanks attended the Jan. 6 rally at the U.S. Capitol and provoked outrage in 2021 when he made a joke about lynching. He is also an outspoken denier of the 2020 election results and released a video in which he fires a rifle at a piece of office equipment with “Dominion Voting Machine” written on it.

“His positions are all outside the mainstream,” said Zack Roday, a GOP operative who has worked extensively in Colorado. “Ron Hanks delivers this seat to Democrats.”

Olivia Beavers and Madison Fernandez contributed to this report.