ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Rep. Claudia Tenney learned last week that she’d been outraised by her Democratic opponent for the third quarter in a row, a sign that her hold on a moderate upstate New York district is in peril. But if GOP leaders thought that would be a five-alarm reminder for the vulnerable freshman to pursue a moderate path to reelection, they were mistaken. Days later, Tenney called for the jailing of Hillary Clinton and James Comey — embracing a hard-line stance championed by President Donald Trump but shunned by most GOP leaders and virtually all moderates. ‘Lock them up!’ a Tenney campaign email blared on [Tuesday 4-24-18], touting her call for a special counsel to investigate the Democrat presidential nominee and former FBI director. Tenney’s red-meat rhetoric may play well with a national GOP base that’s loyal to Trump. But some Republicans are nervous that she’s boxing herself into a posture that won’t play well in her center-right district. Tenney is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House. Her once reliable GOP district is now considered a toss-up by political handicappers. But unlike other colleagues in swing districts who have distanced themselves from President Donald Trump and shunned partisan rhetoric, Tenney is leaning into both.”
–Rachael Bade and Kyle Cheney, “Tenney’s red-meat rhetoric alarms House Republicans,” Politico, April 27, 2018 4:06 pm