Speaking to CNN, Michael Wood, a Republican candidate for a Texas House seat who lost the race after running on an anti-Donald Trump platform, decried the direction the GOP has gone in, calling it a “sad commentary” on American politics that so many members of the party have embraced conspiracy theories, namely the former president’s falsehoods about the 2020 general election.
“It seems like right now, the dividing line in our politics is going to be between those who speak the truth and those who engage in conspiracy theories. And that’s really unfortunate,” Wood told CNN’s John Berman on “New Day.”
“It feels like in a lot of ways we’ve gone through a looking glass, and those of us in the party who are against insurrection and lying are finding ourselves turned into fringe candidates. It’s a sad commentary on the party. It’s a sad commentary on the country,” he added.
The GOP “is not living up to this moment,” he observed.
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“If you run for office and if you get elected to Congress, you’ve got to be willing to lose it, you know, or else you can’t do the job. I think a lot of people have their egos and their entire personalities tied up with being a member of Congress. And all the perks that go along with that. I think they need to be willing to walk away from it,” he said. “And I think they need to think not just about the next election or the next news cycle, I think they need to think about history. I think they need to think about how they’re going to be judged and, you know, what future generations are going to say about this moment.”
Wood lost the race to Susan Wright, the widow of Congressman Ron Wright, who previously held the seat and died of Covid-19 in February.
You can watch Wood’s interview in the video below.
Anti-Trump Republican Michael Wood lost BADLY in this weekend's TX-06 special primary.
"Those of us in the party who are against insurrection and lying are finding ourselves turned into fringe candidates. It's a sad commentary on the party. It's a sad commentary on the country." pic.twitter.com/2FN96SSDe8
— The Recount (@therecount) May 4, 2021
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
