Donald Trump’s campaign to oust congressional Republicans who supported his impeachment is getting its last major test of the US midterm primary season, as Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski face challengers backed by the former president.
US Representative Cheney, who has played a big role in the congressional probe of the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters, is expected on Tuesday to lose her Wyoming primary to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, according to opinion polls.
The fate of US Senator Murkowski of Alaska is less clear. The state’s nonpartisan primary format allows the top four vote-getters to advance to the November 8 general election, which could bring a possible rematch of Ms Murkowski and Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka.
Both states are reliably Republican, making it unlikely that either will play a major role in deciding whether US President Joe Biden’s Democrats lose their razor-thin majorities in Congress. Republicans are expected to easily retake the House and also have a good chance of winning control of the Senate.
Mr Biden’s weak public approval numbers, weighed down by an unsteady economy, remain a concern for Democrats heading into November. A two-day Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday showed that just 38 per cent of respondents approve of Mr Biden’s job performance, down from 40 per cent a week earlier. His job approval has been below 50 per cent since August 2021.
A majority in either chamber of Congress would allow Republicans to bring Mr Biden’s legislative agenda to a halt. Already they threaten to launch potentially damaging investigations into his administration should they win.
Alaska voters are also determining whether to pick Sarah Palin, a Republican firebrand and former governor who Mr Trump has endorsed for the state’s only US House seat.
Ms Cheney, the daughter of Republican former vice-president Dick Cheney, has used her campaign – and her position on the January 6 committee – to keep attention on Mr Trump’s actions around the Capitol riot, and his continued false claims about fraud in the 2020 election, in a bid to persuade fellow Republicans the former president is a threat to democracy.
Her supporters believe she still has a shot if enough Democrats and independents cross over and vote for her, which is allowed in the state’s primary system. Their numbers may not be fully captured in the polls.
Ms Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr Trump over the Capitol riot. Three others have already lost their primaries, four decided not to run again and two won their contests.
Most of the candidates Mr Trump has backed this election season have triumphed – in a sign, his supporters say, of his continued sway over the party as he considers whether to run for office again in 2024.
It is unclear yet what the impact on the midterm elections will be of the FBI’s retrieval of top secret documents at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home as part of an investigation into possible violations of the Espionage Act.
-AAP
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