Lots of big primary races in Florida Tuesday, but the one that jumped out at me is Rep. Cory Mills losing to a local news anchor in a solidly red district. Donald Trump loves violence against women, so it’s no surprise he backed Mills, who has faced credible allegations of domestic abuse and harassment. 

That Mills lost anyway is a promising sign that even Republicans are getting a little weary of the Trump-era push to celebrate and promote bad men. It’s not just gross to treat men accused of abusing women and children as exemplars of masculinity. It’s incoherent. In reality, it’s a weak man who picks on people smaller than himself. I’m not surprised Republicans are getting tired of defending these dudes. qAZ 

Not to be all conspiratorial, but I found it interesting that all the MAGA pundits want to pretend Sen. Jon Ossoff accused Trump of having sex with his aide, Natalie Harp. This is wishful thinking from the right, and not just because Ossoff’s actual words were, ”He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie.” It’s because they wish Trump was remotely convincing as a Lothario who can still perform with a lithe blonde, rather than the lumbering old man with a suspiciously-shaped butt that he is. 

Harp’s presence isn’t about sex, but about Trump needing a full-time babysitter. I think that’s why he’s so defensive. He’d love it if everyone was whispering about his hot mistress. This is a man who used fake names to call tabloid reporters to plant often phony stories about all the sex he was probably not having. He’d be thrilled if people believed he was sleeping with Harp.

I’d bet a lot of money that it’s the nursemaid rumors that are bugging him. But this isn’t just about his ego. There’s a financial angle, too. Trump is currently trying to turn his crypto firm into a bank. No one thinks Trump would be a good bank manager, and this is not for those seeking a reliable steward for their money. It’s just for making it easier for corporations and foreign actors to give money to Trump without directly bribing him, which is still technically illegal. 

As soon as he’s out of office and useless to them, however, that money will likely dry up. Likely well before then, as his lame duck status grows worse. No wonder Trump keeps teasing an unconstitutional third term. But that’s a hard sell when he’s aging so rapidly that people wonder if he’ll even make it to 2028. So of course he’s worried about the reports that he has a full-time helper, whose job sounds more like elder care than mistress. 

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Ossoff is ahead in the polls in Georgia, and got there by running on an anti-corruption message. This is a little surprising, because there’s a widespread belief that, regardless of what they say to pollsters, voters don’t really care about corruption. After all, Trump won in 2024 despite almost comical levels of blatant corruption, including 34 felony convictions for fraud. 

But I think it’s not so much that voters don’t care about fraud. They’ve just been convinced both sides do it. One major reason is that their email inboxes are flooded with scammy fundraising emails from both parties. 

Adam Bonica of On Data and Democracy had a hard but necessary look at how shady fundraisers who exploit Democratic voters, mostly elderly, with alarmist emails. Some of these are hired by candidates. Some are working for PACs of various levels of legitimacy. Ultimately, these fine distinctions don’t matter much.

What matters is that getting deluged with emails with headlines like “Quadruple-match EXPIRES in 180 MINUTES!” and “We’re BEGGING” slowly instills a sense that Democrats are just fine with scams if they’re the ones profiting. That, in turn, makes it easy for people to say “both sides do it” and treat corruption as an unsolvable problem rather than a voting issue. 

Running against GOP corruption will work for Democrats, but only if they get the moral high ground. Do something to stop the fundraising spam! Speak out against it! Don’t use these services! And once in office, ban it! This is a solvable problem, if they’re willing to do it.  

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