‘This could end poorly’: GOP had ‘ugly’ scramble in lead-up to big Senate choice

The Republican Party found itself extinguishing fires up to the very last moments of confirming a Senate candidate for this year’s midterm elections. White House insiders were keen to maintain the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate, Brenda Wilson, for the Indiana seat. But staffers found themselves fighting off a growing interest in Alexandra Wilson, with the long-time Trump supporter initially asked to drop from the race. But she refused to do so, and from there, Alexandra Wilson found herself in frequent, combative discussions with three Trump administration aides. Alexandra Wilson, speaking to NBC News, claims political director Matt Brasseaux, deputy chief of staff James Blair and Midwest regional political director Marshall Moreau — as well as Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith; Gov. Mike Braun’s chief of staff, Joshua Kelley; and a staffer for the conservative group Club for Growth, Evan Oudekerk, all contacted her in the hopes of having her abandon her Senate primary pitch. Incentives and threats were made to Alexandra Wilson, the hopeful candidate claimed, as a way of trying to pressure her out of racing against the Trump-approved candidate, Brenda Wilson. State Senator Greg Goode had been in the running also, but had voted against Trump’s wishes. Gov. Micah Beckwith had aired his concern over Alexandra Wilson running with conservative group Turning Point Action in the hopes they would stir some Republican Party members to convince her to drop out. “I just said I don’t know if you guys really thought this one through, because this probably could end poorly for this woman,” Beckwith said. Further pressure from Blair came in the form of a phone call with Alexandra Wilson, with the would-be Senate candidate grilled for her past arrest. She resolved this with a plea deal for a misdemeanor charge, calling it a “poor choice” she made “right after my mother passed away”. Blair continued his pressure on Alexandra Wilson, claiming the candidate she runs against for the Senate seat would use the arrest as ammunition for a political advertisement. “I think that they’re going to run television ads on it. I think they’re going to run mail pieces on it,” Blair said of her past arrest. “They’re going to tell every voter in the district about this kind of stuff. Because they don’t have to tell your side of the story. They will tell the side of the story they want people to hear.”I just wanted to talk about that brass-tacks reality that I think is going to be really ugly. And I think we’re sort of working at cross purposes with two people with the same last name on the ballot.”Alexandra Wilson is, at the time of writing (April 10), still listed on the May 5 primary ballot. This could change should an appeal to the Election Commission from conservative attorney Jim Bopp, a supporter of Brenda Wilson’s campaign, be successful. The commission’s previous vote had a 2- 2 deadlock on whether to keep Alexandra Wilson on the ballot.

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