This election, I have generally supported candidates that can be best described as GOP establishment. In Texas, I supported Senator John Cornyn’s re-election. I also supported Senator Mitch McConnell’s reelection in Kentucky. In North Carolina, I wound up supporting House Speaker Thom Tillis’s nomination for the Senate over Greg Brannon. However, in Mississippi I have supported Chris McDaniel’s primary challenge to Senator Thad Cochran from the beginning. You’re probably asking what the difference is and it’s simple, the people I opposed earlier in the year I don’t believe could’ve won in November against the Democrat and Chris McDaniel can. It does not do the cause of liberty any good to nominate a liberty-minded candidate who will lose in November versus a guy who can be pressured to support us depending on the cause.
William F. Buckley is one my political heroes. I have always enjoyed his work and I’m a firm believer in the Buckley Rule. Those of us who are interested in seeing liberty advance have an obligation to not only support a liberty candidate but more importantly, to support the most viable liberty candidate on the ballot. A liberty candidate’s viability should not be confined to whether or not they can win a Republican primary but whether or not they can win a general election as well. All too often, many liberty activists forget about the general election and are too focused on defeating the “establishment” and all too often over look the obvious flaws in a candidate just because they’re “pro-liberty” or “anti-establishment”.
I opposed Steve Stockman, Dwayne Stovall, Greg Brannon, and Matt Bevin because I did not think either of those four men could prevail against their Democrat general election opponents and their nominations would be ultimately a net loss for liberty just as the nominations of Sharron Angle, Ken Buck, and Christine O’Donnell were. It does no good to defeat the establishment GOP candidate, who can be persuaded on a case by case basis to support our issues and people, if we cannot win in November.
Whereas I opposed Stockman, Stovall, Brannon, and Bevin because they were sure losers in November, I strongly support Chris McDaniel and have since the beginning of his candidacy because he is the most viable liberty candidate who can not only defeat Thad Cochran but also he can hold the seat in November.
Thad Cochran’s record (which I point out in my earlier linked piece) is one of the most abysmal for a Republican in the Senate. Higher spending, social authoritarianism, undermining civil liberties, and a too interventionist foreign policy; Thad Cochran has consistently voted for all this. Thad Cochran has demonstrated both through his Senate record and the way he has conducted his campaign that he is beyond repair. He must go.
We have an opportunity for a serious upgrade in Chris McDaniel on many of those issues.
While we should challenge candidates in the primary, we have an obligation to back candidates who can win in November. Some of our candidates won’t survive the vetting of a primary and that’s fine. We learn our lessons and move on while supporting the most liberty-friendly and viable candidate in the general election.
Meanwhile, encourage your friends in Mississippi to vote for Chris McDaniel on June 24th.
