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Good afternoon, and welcome back to Press Pass. This newsletter is dedicated to covering our sorry excuse for a legislative branch. But the cool thing about The Bulwark is that we offer newsletters on a range of beats, all authored by independent journalists who know their stuff. Because it gives you access to all of them, a Bulwark+ membership is the best bang for your buck in news. You can also choose which of our newsletters land in your inbox based on which coverage areas are most important to you, and you’ll get to experience our incredible community, too—an annual membership is less than you’d spend if you bought a Big Mac meal each month! We give you the same instantaneous satisfaction without the gratuitous calories. So join our growing online community at the link below.
Today’s edition zeroes in on an emerging trend this election cycle: Departing Republican members of the House of Representatives striving for more prominent roles only to run headlong into Winchester Mystery House–esque brick walls where the doors should be. These members are losing their primaries for statewide office and finding out that voters might not find their resumes to be as impressive as they do. I spoke with some lawmakers who’ve successfully made the leap, as well as one who was just given the boot a few weeks ago. Join me in finding out if any lessons have been learned.
In addition, Thom Tillis’s decision to retire has freed him from the handcuffs of partisan politics. But while he’s become more vocal in his January 6th–related criticisms of Trump’s policies and nominees, he seems to still be pulling punches when it comes to Todd Blanche, the president’s nominee for attorney general. Lastly, Trump plunged Capitol Hill into a state of chaos yet again on Wednesday. But while this has become a recurring feature of life on the Hill, the latest round was particularly wild for lawmakers. My Bulwark colleagues and I hilariously unpacked it in a video for you. Enjoy, you sickos (complimentary).
It Truly Sucks to Be a House Republican With Lofty Ambitions
Ooh, that smell. Can’t you smell that smell? Ooh, that smell. The smell of incumbency surrounds you.
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If you ain’t first, you’re last
POLITICS USED TO BE A LOT SIMPLER. You’d get elected to local office, then a lower-tier state-level office, and then, after that, maybe you could win an election to serve in the U.S. House. If you were fortunate enough to get that far, doors would open for you to pursue major state-wide offices, like a governorship or a seat in the United States Senate. But a rotten tree has lately fallen across that pathway: the terrible reputation of the House, which outgoing members have discovered to be an unexpected obstruction to their larger political careers.
Previous editions of Press Pass have touched on the high number of House Republicans retiring or seeking statewide positions back home after years of frustration under the historically ineffective speakership of Rep. Mike Johnson (R–La.). Unfortunately for the candidates looking to move on up from the federal kiddie table, voters seem unimpressed by their claims to be ready for a seat among the adults.
Of the 21 House Republicans running for statewide office this cycle, eight have lost or abandoned their primaries.¹ Just four have won their respective races—several of whom ran in non-competitive primaries or received a hefty assist from President Donald Trump.² While eight more are still outstanding, there will be at least one more loss as Reps. David Schweikert and Andy Biggs are competing against one another for the Republican nomination in Arizona’s gubernatorial race.
What gives? Well, for starters, the stench of currently being in office. Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), who made the leap from House to Senate in 2024, told me, “It’s a tough climate” this year, noting that Utah has lost “a lot of incumbent mayors in non-partisan races.”
“I think it always has been [toxic],” Curtis said of incumbency in Republican primaries. “I mean, it has its advantages, obviously. But people love the new, shiny things.”...
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