In a different kind of election year twist on Tuesday, a Tea Party conservative Republican from Kansas was defeated in his bid for re-election to the Congress, as the Chamber of Commerce and GOP Establishment prevailed in a primary fight against Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS).
Winning the Republican nomination in the First District of Kansas was Roger Marshall, an OB-GYN who had never run for political office.
Marshall delivered a baby in the morning, and voted for himself a few hours later.
Huelskamp is the fourth member of the House to lose this election year, guaranteeing a turnover of at least 48 members of the House in January of next year.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
That number of 48 new members in the House could grow even more in the weeks ahead, as 14 states must still hold primary elections for Congress - and then it would be logical to expect that some lawmakers may lose in November as well.
Three Republicans and one Democrat have been defeated so far in primaries this year in the House. Four lawmakers also lost primary races two years ago in 2014.
Huelskamp was part of the Freedom Caucus, a group of more conservative Republicans, who had helped to push John Boehner out as Speaker of the House; but back home, Huelskamp feuded with agricultural interests in his rural district, and it proved to be part of his undoing.
It was a grumpy ending for Huelskamp, who had invited the press to a primary watch party - only to have his staff boot them out as the numbers rolled in.
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