Opinions

Conservative Picks for the Michigan Primary

Published

1 year ago

August 7, 2018

Ray Fava

Conservative Picks for the Michigan Primary

Democrats will once again act like they care about Michigan. They have a Senate seat to maintain. The Michigan GOP is hardly Conservative at all, with all but Justin Amash being a RINO. This election boasts few opportunities to move the needle right. It’s almost like the establishment forbids challengers. Only one incumbent Republican is being challenged. This gives the indication that the people of Michigan are politically apathetic. The state also features the most ideologically boring senate primary between John James and Sandy Pensler. This leaves the 11th District as the only interesting primary in this state. With that one exception, it appears Michigan will remain a RINO herding ground. Although, neither Senate candidate is terrible, upfront.

Best Pick: Lena Espein

Worst Picks: Mike Bishop, Mike Kowall

Best Race: District 11

Worst Race: District 8

US Senate

Kid Rock did not end up running for the seat. Instead, we have John James and Sandy Pensler. This race is far from a GOP civil war battlefield. James and Pensler are almost identical candidates in policy. Pensler does a more elaborate job of explaining it, but James holds roughly the same stance. As a result, this is a bitter, mudslinging, campaign. The Senate is definitely one of the easier, of the competitive, seats for the Democrats to maintain, and a bitter campaign does little favors in this one. James is more pro-life than Pensler making abortion one of the only real policy differences. James has a greater emphasis on fiscal responsibility, but both are running on an expansive list of issues including entitlement reform. Pensler, being another rich “outsider” has been criticized for past dealings, which are even more innocent than the average. The only real difference between these candidates is their endorsements. John James is endorsed by Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and RINOs Paul Mitchell and Mike Bishop. Pensler, in contrast is endorsed by Rand Paul.

I am honored to have the endorsement of Senator Rand Paul, one of the most principled conservatives in the U.S. Senate. Like @RandPaul, I know how to fix problems and I have the independence to fight back against the swamp. Read the full endorsement here: https://t.co/awyn7gGaql pic.twitter.com/ik2AYcyYeN

— Sandy Pensler (@SandyPensler) July 30, 2018

John James is pulling away, if polling is to be beleived, and Pensler is losing face as far as his reputation is concerned. For that reason:

Conservative Pick: John James

District 1

Jack Bergman is an unchallenged RINO.

District 2

Bill Huizenga is a mediocre Republican. He is unopposed.

District 3

Justin Amash is Michigan’s most Conservative congressman. He is unopposed.

District 4

John Moolenaar is a bloated RINO. He is unopposed.

District 5

Travis Wines is the only Republican in this race.

District 6

Fred Upton is an incumbent RINO. He is unopposed.

District 7

Tim Walberg is an incumbent RINO. He is unopposed.

District 8

Mike Bishop is an incumbent RINO. His record on spending is atrocious. He is opposed by Lokesh Kumar, an outsider fighting his way in. Kumar is more than likely right of Bishop.

Conservative Pick: Lokesh Kumar

District 9

Candius Stearns is the only Republican in this race.

District 10

Paul Mitchell is an unchallenged RINO.

District 11

This is the most interesting race here because it is a vacant seat. Lena Epstein is an outsider putting over $1,000,000 of her own money in this race. She was tied to the Trump campaign’s win in Michigan and has built a campaign off of the groundwork she put in and the reputation she established. All things considered, she looks as though she’d be the second most Conservative politician out of Michigan. The biggest opponent to her rise appears to be Mike Kowall. Kowall is a MIGOP insider which is an indication he isn’t Conservative. He is also a big supporter of Trott, the congressman whom they seek to replace. It’s unsurprising that he is also a RINO. Then there’s Klint Kesto. He’s a solid conservative, but his chances of winning are clouded in this race. With Conservatism as a dying breed in Michigan, Lena Epstein proves to be the best bet. She’s a good campaigner with the best chance to keep the seat red against thirsty Democrats.