Voters want to choose their own candidates and not the people favored by Washington's leaders, a factor that may have led to former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore's Tuesday win against interim Sen. Luther Strange, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said Wednesday.
"They don't like Washington coming in and saying this is going to be your next senator," McDaniel told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program. "Let the process play out. Let the primaries play out. Let the voters choose who the nominee is going to be and then bring the establishment in the party structure in to help get that candidate across the finish line."
Strange had been backed in the race by President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and others in Washington, but Moore was backed more by outside, non-establishment conservatives, including former chief strategist Stephen Bannon and ex-GOP presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Now that Moore has won the runoff race, the RNC will move in and put its ground game in place in hopes of turning out voters and getting Moore elected, McDaniel said. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election to determine who will fill the Senate seat that was held by Jeff Sessions before he became attorney general.
Meanwhile, Republicans are frustrated with Washington lawmakers for not repealing and replacing Obamacare, McDaniel said.
On Tuesday, the push once again failed when it was announced that a roll call vote was not being made on a measure presented by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and voters want a measure passed, McDaniel said.
"They are saying we sent you there," she said. "We gave you the White House, the Senate, and the House. We want the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. It's hurting us. Our lives are hurting. I hear that. The president hears it. He is never giving up on this. We need to expand our margins in 2018 . . . we have an opportunity to expand our Senate majority."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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