Why upcoming GOP primaries may not double as Trump-McConnell proxy wars


Former President Donald Trump has been "unreachable" to anyone outside his limited inner circle since he left office last month, but that's about to change, Politico reports.
In the near future, Trump will begin vetting candidates at Mar-a-Lago to make sure "every open GOP seat in the 2022 midterms has a MAGA-approved contender vying for it," three people familiar with the strategy told Politico. Trump's plan to forge ahead has some folks concerned about a brewing war within the Republican Party, especially after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tore into Trump after he voted to acquit him in his impeachment trial, and Trump responded in turn with a scathing statement criticizing his former ally. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for instance, said he's more worried about 2022 "than I've ever been ... I don't want to eat our own."
But The Bulwark's Tim Miller doesn't expect any congressional primaries to double as Trump-McConnell proxy wars. Pointing to the upcoming race for outgoing Sen. Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) seat in the Buckeye State, Miller notes that the two major candidates who have already declared, Josh Mandel and Jane Timken, were previously aligned with the centrist former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, but are now both competing in the "Trump lane." Looking beyond Ohio, Miller writes that he sees "no indication" of a viable GOP candidate emerging in any Senate primary "who blames Trump" for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, "admits [President] Biden won the election fairly, and argues we need to turn the page on Trump."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The National Journal's Josh Kraushaar agrees, but added that he believes McConnell himself will roll with that reality. Read more at Politico and The Bulwark. Tim O'Donnell
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequel
The Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
7 US cities to explore on a microtrip
The Week Recommends Not enough vacation days? No problem.
-
Sudoku medium: May 14, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defenses
speed read 'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals deal
speed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs
Speed Read The attack targeting Hezbollah was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since November's ceasefire