The Missouri auctioneer bidding it all for Trump's backing

basquebromance

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Nov 26, 2015
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i like Billy Long. he's got the look, he's got it all


excerpts:

Immediately after taping the announcement of his Senate candidacy on Tucker Carlson's show, Billy Long paid former President Donald Trump a visit. As Long recalls it, Trump was a bit surprised.

“You're in without my endorsement?” Trump asked the six-term Missouri GOP congressman. Long replied in the affirmative, then quickly explained why that should all change.

During their August meeting at Trump Tower, Long argued to Trump that if Republicans nominate someone other than him to keep retiring Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) seat red, the GOP might have to spend as much as $50 million in the state — money better spent in Arizona and Georgia. Channeling his past as an auctioneer, Long pitched himself as the equivalent of a “three-for-one” sale for Trump.

Three months later, Long is still seeking the former president’s support.

As a young boy, Long taught his dog to roll over and play dead upon being asked: “Would you rather be a Democrat or a dead dog?”

"There’s no pretense. He’s not one person in public, one person in private. The way he presents himself now is always who I have known him to be,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) of Long.

With the primary more than eight months away in August, things are already getting ugly. Summing up the field, Long says his opponents should be “writing revisionist history textbooks, because they're all revising their history with Trump.” He hits Hartzler as inauthentic and insufficiently conservative; her campaign manager responded by citing Long’s campaign spending: “Billy is not focused on fighting for Missouri, he’s just looking for his next big meal.”

Long calls Greitens “Chuck Schumer’s candidate,” a reference to GOP fears that his sex scandal will be a general-election liability. A Greitens spokesperson said that “Billy Long is a much better comedian than he is a Senate candidate.”

No matter the recipient or effect of Trump's imprimatur in Missouri, just don’t expect Billy Long to change his tune as he tries to win it.

“I can't be somebody fake," Long said. "I mean, I may not win the race. And I may not get the endorsement. But I'm gonna do it my way.”
 
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Billy Long displays a tie he had signed by Trump

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"Trump endorsed Parnell, who lost a 2020 bid for Congress, at the urging of his son, Donald Trump Jr., and without awareness of the domestic violence allegations made against him, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation."

“If he spent a little more time and resources vetting and researching where he can have an impact and a little bit less time s----posting, he could actually help his own legacy and move the ball forward,” said one Republican strategist.

"Prior to Parnell’s departure from the race, Trump’s endorsement failed to scare off many potential GOP candidates. One of them, Jeff Bartos, made the protective orders taken out by Parnell’s wife a news story by publicly discussing them immediately after Trump announced his pick.

Parnell’s other opponent, Carla Sands, responded to the Trump endorsement by using $1 million of her money on an ad buy highlighting her work as a Trump administration economic adviser and ambassador to Denmark.

A GOP operative familiar with the dynamics in Pennsylvania noted that while Parnell’s child custody situation was unique, it proved that a Trump endorsement still doesn’t translate to “complete victory” for a flawed candidate — and other candidates believed it was worthwhile to remain in the race, despite Trump’s involvement.

“You’ve got to just fight the fight for the candidate you want to win,” the operative said. “It’s not like when Trump endorsed Sean Parnell we all packed up our bags and went home.”
 

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