'He's way too conservative': Freedom Caucus members on the hot seat
Reps. Dave Brat and Scott Perry rode the anti-Obama backlash into Congress. Now they're facing a very different kind of backlash.
By RACHAEL BADE 08/04/2018 06:41 AM EDT
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. — Democrat Abigail Spanberger stood on a wooden bench at a vineyard in central Virginia and railed against “the prioritization of ideology over informed decision-making” — a pointed jab at her opponent, House Freedom Caucus member Dave Brat.
Spanberger, a 38-year-old former CIA operative, has barnstormed this traditionally Republican stronghold accusing Brat of putting the Freedom Caucus’ intransigent conservative politics over the needs of constituents, and pitching herself as a pragmatist who could represent them better.
“We need people in Washington who are committed to creating legislation that’s actually impacting communities rather than guided by Republican ideology,” Spanberger said in an interview.
Brat is one of two high-profile Freedom Caucus members at risk of losing their seats this fall to a potential Democratic wave. It's an unfamiliar feeling for members of the hard-line group, whose typically comfortable electoral positions have emboldened them to push a far-right platform.
Brat and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania were elected in the throes of the tea party backlash against then-President Barack Obama — Brat staged a shocking upset against Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican leader — but are now fighting to survive a very different kind of backlash against the current president. Their politics — and shifting makeup of their districts spurred by redistricting — are providing ample fodder for Democratic challengers.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/04/freedom-caucus-brat-perry-conservatives-election-midterm-danger-761955
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