(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) In a smacking rebuke to political wonks and partisan prognosticators who thought any Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump would find safe sanctuary in contested primaries, Michigan incumbent Rep. Peter Meijer on Tuesday went down in defeat and became the latest of 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment in 2020 to be shown the door this year.
John Gibbs, a relative unknown before entering the race despite having served in the Trump administration under Housing Secretary Ben Carson, beat Meijer in a race that wasn’t conceded until early Wednesday morning.
Gibbs’ campaign had blistered Meijer for his vote to impeach Trump, along with the ousted representative’s backing of Democrats’ gun grab and spending sprees. Despite being consistently out-fundraised, Gibbs rode a Trump-endorsement across the finish line.
Just got a call from President Trump, congratulating me and my team on tonight’s big win! Thank you, Mr. President for your support! pic.twitter.com/43BZfvqBEo
— John Gibbs for MI-3 (@votejohngibbs) August 3, 2022
“With 71% of the vote counted, Gibbs led 52%-48%, a stunning win that showed Trump’s influence remains strong with grassroots GOP voters in west Michigan,” reported the Detroit Free Press.
Gibbs moves on to face leftist Democrat Hillary Scholten in a district that was redrawn to give Democrats an edge. Scholten, a former Obama-era Justice Department attorney, ran against Meijer and lost by a thin 6-percentage points, near the statistical bump given Democrats in the new district.
In that light, establishment Republicans were concerned that a Gibbs’ win might dim party chances in the general election.
Democrats, apparently, felt the same way. The House Democrats campaign machine spent $425,000 on ads tagging Gibbs as “too conservative,” in an effort to damage Meijer’s chances and boost a candidate they think is vulnerable because of his ties to Trump.
They’re not alone, with Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman opining that “”No House race is hinging on a GOP primary outcome quite like #MI03. If Rep. Peter Meijer (R) hangs on, it probably moves from Toss Up to Lean R.”
That analysis didn’t change after Wasserman called the race for Gibbs.
I’ve seen enough: Trump-endorsed John Gibbs (R) defeats pro-impeachment Rep. Peter Meijer (R) in the #MI03 GOP primary and will face Hillary Scholten (D) in November.
Rating change: @CookPolitical will be moving #MI03 from Toss Up to Lean D.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 3, 2022
Two other impeachment-embracing RINOs were also on the ballot Tuesday in Washington state, Reps. Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera.
They were both locked in a crowded race too close to call early Wednesday morning.
