In what could be a sign of things to come, Donald Trump is calling for South Dakota senator and Senate Majority Whip John Thune to be primaried by one of his closest allies South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem because he dismissed Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
“I hope to see the great Governor of South Dakota @KristiNoem, run against RINO @SenJohnThune, in the upcoming 2022 Primary,” Trump tweeted. “She would do a fantastic job in the U.S. Senate, but if not Kristi, others are already lining up. South Dakota wants strong leadership, NOW!”
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While House Republicans are falling over themselves to object to the certification of Electoral College votes believing it will have some impact on the outcome of the election, Sen Thune threw cold water on that saying the push to contest the Electoral College’s certified vote next Wednesday will “go down like a shot dog” and it will not go anywhere in the Senate.
On Tuesday, Trump slammed Thune via tweet saying: “He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!”
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But Gov. Noem does not seem to be interested in unseating the number two Republican in the Senate, at least for now.
“I’m honored to be Governor of South Dakota and will ask the people to give me an opportunity to continue serving them as Governor in 2022,” she tweeted last week.
Sen. Thune may not be the only incumbent Republican senator facing the possibility of a nasty primary fight in 2022.
The move by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to join House Republicans in their long shot bid to overturn the results of the election will trigger a debate and individual votes on election results, which Republican Senate leadership was hoping to avoid.
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It would put a number of GOP incumbents up for re-election in 2022 in a difficult spot. They can either support Trump and his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, all of which have been thrown out in court and many senators have publicly dismissed, or break with him and face the possibility of getting primaried.
