Boehner to back Ohio congressman against Trump-aligned primary challenger

(Image credit: AP Photo/Michael A. McCoy)

Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is the latest prominent Republican to step into the ring against former President Donald Trump, Politico reports.

An invitation obtained by Politico revealed Boehner will be a special guest at a virtual Monday fundraiser for Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio). Gonzalez was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump this year and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump is now backing a primary challenge against the congressman. Max Miller, a former Trump White House aide, is the candidate hoping to unseat Gonzalez.

Boehner, it seems, will look to stick up for the non-Trump wing of the Republican Party, following the lead of his old colleague and successor, former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), who showed up Thursday at an event for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a primary target of the Trump-aligned members of the House GOP both because of her impeachment vote and the fact that she has refused to back down from criticizing the former president.

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All told, the involvement of Boehner and Ryan, even though they're no longer active lawmakers, reflects the growing intra-party battle between the old guard and the new. Read more at Politico.

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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.