The Problem with Will Hurd’s Campaign

Jonathan Last: “Here is the hard-headed reality: I suspect that if you gave Will Hurd truth serum and asked him about what he’s saying about Biden and Democrats he’d tell you, Hey man, I’m running for president. You can’t win the Republican nomination by making reasonable distinctions and talking about nuance. A campaign isn’t about epistemological truth. It’s about politics.”

“And fair enough. Except for one fact: Will Hurd isn’t going to win this campaign. I’m sorry, but it’s just truth. I’ll be shocked if he breaks double-digits and mildly surprised if he gets to 7 percent in any national poll this cycle.”

“It is one thing to abandon principle and start fudging around the edges if that’s the compromise that has to be made so that you can win and make things better in the aggregate.”

“But Will Hurd isn’t going to win. He’s going to get 2 percent. And if he gets his 2 percent by being dishonest, then he’ll actually be contributing to the toxicity of our politics.”