By itself, Laura Loomer’s victory in the Republican primary for Florida’s 21st Congressional District doesn’t offer much of a revelation about politics in America.
She won about 43 percent of the vote in Tuesday night’s primary, as of this writing, enough to earn a place in November’s general election. That’s probably as far as she’ll get. The 21st District isn’t viewed as competitive by Cook Political Report; Hillary Clinton won it by nearly 20 points in 2016.
There’s a long tradition of gadflies winning party primaries in places where it doesn’t really matter, and Loomer is certainly that. She’s been called a provocateur, but the elegance of the French label lends her an unwarranted air of sophistication. Loomer rose to prominence as an anti-Muslim troll, seizing onto right-wing rhetoric as a springboard for increasing her visibility. So her victory could simply be seen as an example of that long-standing tradition.
It could, that is, were it not for Loomer’s victory being elevated by President Trump. In tweets Tuesday night and early Wednesday, Trump offered Loomer his congratulations and retweeted news articles about her victory. Loomer could have been seen as part of the Republican fringe who got lucky in a crowded primary field, but Trump made sure that she was seen in another way — as part of the team at the heart of the Republican Party.
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Part of Trump’s celebration of Loomer, though, was obviously his interest in goading those who would disapprove. He retweeted a congratulatory message to Loomer from Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose own past embrace of conspiracy theories including QAnon prompted consternation when she won a runoff earlier this month.
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Loomer seems like something else, though. It’s less simply about her being a Republican and more about the fact that she intentionally goes out of her way to frustrate liberals. To Trump, this is a valuable thing, a way to stoke the fire that is his base. It’s why the Republican convention next week will include a number of figures who have become celebrities within conservative media, such as the St. Louis couple who emerged from their house with firearms to confront Black Lives Matter protesters.
After all, Trump’s apparent reelection strategy in 2020 mirrors his strategy in 2016: Amplify turnout among his supporters in lieu of expanding his support more broadly. The St. Louis couple plays a role in stimulating part of his base. Loomer plays a natural role in stimulating another part.
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The reason the Republican Party can’t effectively police its ranks to stymie people like Loomer, of course, is Trump himself. The GOP can’t disavow Loomer when the head of the party is clearly sympathetic to her, to her style and to her views. The GOP can’t draw firm lines on behavior when Trump is always willing to cross them and always willing to embrace those who join him. There have always been elements of the GOP that flirt with politically challenging boundaries, such as Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who lost his primary earlier this year.
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At some point, Trump will leave office, and, at some point, his voice in Republican politics will be diminished. The question then is how candidates like Loomer or Greene are treated. Are they tolerated? Are they sidelined? Or, in the spirit of Trump, are they embraced as candidates with a constituency, however problematic, and given the chance to goose the number of votes the GOP can earn in the House?
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...cing-his-base/
Originally Posted by Anti Federalist
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