Alaska GOP cancels 2020 primary

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Alaska’s Republican Party has decided to cancel its 2020 primary in support of President Donald Trump, according to The Hill. The Central Committee of the state GOP said in a statement that a primary “would serve no useful purpose” because of the high level of support for Trump among Republicans.

Trump has three primary challengers for the party nomination: former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh. None of these candidates have significant support among Republicans, however, according to polling data.

It is not unusual for primaries to be canceled when an incumbent president seeks a second term. Nevada, South Carolina, Arizona, and Kansas have also voted to cancel their primaries.

Why do they do it? To save the money it costs to have an election — and to show unequivocal state party support for the incumbent president.

Choosing the nominee

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick said canceling the primary there will save the state $1.2 million that it can use in another way to help Trump’s campaign, The Washington Examiner reported. “The simple fact is that South Carolina Republicans overwhelmingly support President Trump and know this vanity project is going absolutely nowhere,” McKissick said of Mark Sanford’s candidacy in the state.

“These primaries cost a lot of money for the state parties and, in some cases, state taxpayers,” added Mark Lotter, the Trump campaign’s director of strategic communications. “So, if there is obviously no concern, there’s no question that President Trump will be our nominee. A lot of these parties are doing the thing that they feel is best for them and saving their resources that can be used to fight in a different way.”

Not the first time

Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all saw some state primaries canceled when they were coming up for re-election. In 2012, 10 state Democrat primaries were canceled, for example.

That didn’t stop the liberal media machine from lambasting Trump, however. The Washington Post and TIME magazine both wondered what Trump was afraid of and fretted that it might not help his readiness to face a Democrat opponent.

But let’s be realistic: If liberal news outlets really thought canceling primaries would hurt Trump, they would be in full support of states doing so. Whatever hurts Trump — or what they believe will hurt him — is going to be front-and-center in the mainstream media from now until the election in 2020.

Much ado about nothing

For their part, Trump’s primary challengers are not happy that some states won’t get the chance to support them. But with polls showing 88% support among Republicans for Trump nationwide, it’s pretty clear who the nominee will be.

Of course, some voters want to see the primaries go on even if there’s no question who will earn the party’s nomination. The right to vote is very important to the Americans who participate, even if turnout is likely to be low in these early contests.

Still, the furor seems to be what it usually is when the liberal press comments on matters involving Trump or any Republican: much ado about nothing.

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