Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is currently under federal investigation for child sex trafficking, but he still won his Republican primary.
Dave Wasserman of The Cook Political Report tweeted:
I've seen enough: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) defeats Mark Lombardo (R) in the #FL01 GOP primary. @CookPolitical November rating: Solid R.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 24, 2022
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Gaetz is in a solidly red district, so there was no doubt that he was going to win his primary, but the fact that he won his primary says a great deal about where the Republican base is right now.
Republicans used to pay lip service to family values, but that was always a buzzword meant to appeal to the white evangelical voters who were the make-or-break constituency for the Republican Party.
Under Trump, the Republican Party has gone from being a group of conservatives who pretended to care about families to non-conservatives who willingly voted for alleged child sex traffickers.
A great deal of discussion has been dedicated to the devolution of the Republican Party under Trump, but the failed former president is a symptom of a disease that has been building for decades.
Republicans are in their full-blown decline where they are ignoring child sex trafficking to vote for a troll who makes them feel good by “owning the libs.”
The problem is the base of the Republican Party. For decades the elected officials in the Republican Party have been driven by the base. The base of the Republican Party is the core of the rotten apple, and Matt Gaetz is the child sex trafficking (allegedly) worm.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
