Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt will be running in a general election against Democrat Trudy Buch Valentine to fill the vacant Senate seat that is needed to maintain GOP control.
Schmitt is the favorite in the heavily Republican state. However, there are attempts to make the GOP lose the seat by supporting John Wood, an independent candidate. Wood isn’t just a random man out to ruin the race. Wood is an ally to Liz Cheney, NeverTrump Republicans, and was even brought in to work on the January 6 Committee.
John F. Wood has been appointed as the top legal advisor to the House select committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection.
Why it matters: This decision is part of an ongoing effort to make the committee impartial. It follows Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, being elected vice-chairwoman of the panel.
Cheney actually praised his work.
Cheney stated that John is an incredibly skilled attorney and one of the most competent people she’s worked with. Wood was a co-worker with Philip Perry, Cheney’s husband. Both men served in various capacities under President George W. Bush. Wood was most recently the general counsel of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “I have known John for a while… I knew that he could bring dedication to the country and wisdom to this crucial duty.
Wood’s wife contributed $2,600 to Cheney’s campaign in return for her friendship and work.
All of this is part of a larger NeverTrump campaign in Missouri. Senator John “Jack” Danforth was another politician in the state. He pushed for Wood’s independent campaign back when it appeared that Eric Greitens, the disgraced ex-governor (whose campaign was being run by Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Donald Trump’s future daughter-in-law), might win the Republican primary. Danforth is a prominent NeverTrump politician in the state. However, Greitens lost his primary to Schmitt. He’s not giving up.
Former Sen. Jack Danforth stated that the political action committee supporting John Wood, an independent senator candidate, is “in it for winning it”, just a day after the PAC spent $750,000 more on TV ads in order to run before Aug. 2.
On June 6, Danforth donated $5 million to Missouri Stands United. By June 24, ads featuring Danforth talking about the need for a better path were airing in Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City.
The PAC’s Monday ad buy brought its television spending to $2.2million. It was only in the Kansas City and St. Louis markets. The PAC has spent more money than any candidate committee and is now third in television spending in the Senate race for retiring Sen. Roy Blunt.
Danforth claims it’s not spoiler racing, but Wood’s impact is clearly visible.
Wood was the senior investigative counsel to the Select Committee to Investigate January 6 Attack on U.S. Capitol before he decided to run for the Senate.
Danforth stated that Wood’s victory is possible if the future of democracy is the primary issue.
Missouri Stands United’s ads emphasize the danger of extremism in both major political parties.
Danforth stated that this message transcends any views and can unite Republicans and Democrats, as well as independent voters.
It is not a Republican line to say “Make the future democracy the main issue.” This is a Democrat line directly attacking Trump voters. This is an admission that the goal of this campaign is to punish Trump and his supporters more than anything else. Support conservative causes by supporting Schmitt. You can try to cost conservatives the election by supporting an independent candidate who will attempt to win Republican votes.
However, there is no evidence that Wood’s influence will cost Schmitt enough, according to polling data. This doesn’t mean that Schmitt’s job will be any easier.
Even though Liz Cheney won’t be returning to Washington D.C. in the capacity of a Representative, her influence is still felt in other races that could harm the Republican Party. For the NeverTrump politicians, this is all about. Punish the party and punish their voters.
