The pundits love to talk about how toxic President Obama is in some of these Democratic primary races, but it seems Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't fairing a whole lot better these days. Last month we had Rep. Jack Kingston running away from him.
Georgia Senate Candidate Joins GOPers Who Won't Endorse McConnell:
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), one of the handful of Republicans vying for the nomination in the Georgia Senate race, became the latest Senate candidate to refuse to say whether he would commit to supporting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Republican Senate leader for another term.
Reached by The Hill on Monday, Kingston's campaign refused to say whether the congressman would support McConnell as leader for another term.
"Jack Kingston is focused on communicating his record and his vision to the people of Georgia so we can elect a proven, tested conservative to turn back [Democratic Leader] Harry Reid's liberal agenda," Kingston spokesman Chris Crawford told The Hill.
That comment is especially surprising given that Kingston has received notable Republican establishment support in his bid for Senate. The Chamber of Commerce plans to start airing ads in support of Kingston on Wednesday.
Kingston isn't the only candidate in the Republican Senate primary to refuse to support McConnell as Republican leader. Former Secretary of State Karen Handel, one of Kingston's rivals, suggested earlier in the month that she would not support McConnell. Read on...
Kingston doubled down with MSNBC's Chuck Todd this Tuesday, but now he says his vote is dependent on McConnell supporting his "six point plan" for "changing the course of America."
TODD: Why won't you say that you can support him right now. What's your hesitance?
KINGSTON: Because I'm going to the Senate to change the status quo. We can't stay where we are. I don't want just the Republicans to take over. I want to reverse the course of America. I've got a six point plan which is similar to the contract with America. It has to do with jobs, fiscal responsibility and strong national defense and I want to sit down with whoever wants my vote for senate leadership and I need them to sign off on this plan, because I'm not going over there just to hold a gavel. We have absolutely got to change the status quo and I have a plan to do it.
Kingston's "new plan" looks a whole lot like their "old" plan and the same old snake oil every single Republican has been peddling for decades now. You can read all about it here: American Renewal Initiative
You can pass the popcorn tonight while we wait to see which of these wingnuts come out on top in this Georgia primary race.
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