Republicans Have a Recruiting Problem

Jonathan Bernstein: “It has been clear for some time that Republicans might ruin their own chances by picking terrible candidates. But recent primaries in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio and other states show how willing GOP voters are to select extremely risky candidates.”

“Candidates with electoral experience tend to perform better than those without it. (Nate Silver examines just how inexperienced the candidates Republicans have chosen recently are.)”

“But political inexperience isn’t the Republican candidates’ only problem. Two of Trump’s big primary success stories, former football star Herschel Walker in Georgia and TV doctor Memhet Oz in Pennsylvania, are celebrities. That can be useful! But both have been duds, or worse, on the campaign trail…”

“In other states, it’s less about candidates’ competence and more about extreme policy positions. Blake Masters in Arizona and J.D. Vance in Ohio are Senate nominees backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, who presumably supported them because of libertarian positions that translate poorly to the campaign trail.”