Two GOP candidates with ugly records just lost their primaries.
Sometimes an election result delivers more than a winner and a loser. This week’s Republican primaries produced two particularly striking examples, with candidate Jadon MacCormack losing after making extreme anti-LGBTQ+ remarks and Mike Lindell refusing to accept his defeat in Minnesota.
Different states, different races, same basic lesson: voters get the final say.
MacCormack’s 90-Vote Reality Check
In Connecticut, Republican Jadon MacCormack’s campaign for the state House ended with a remarkably small number attached to his name: 90 votes.
MacCormack lost Tuesday’s Republican primary in the 50th House District to Anthony Emilio, a former Pomfret first selectman. MacCormack received fewer than 20% of the votes cast between the two candidates, while Emilio will advance to face Democratic incumbent Pat Boyd in November.
MacCormack had become a controversial candidate for his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. In a July interview with Reese on the Radio, MacCormack said, “If you’re a sodomite, you should get the death penalty. Simple as that.” He also made other statements targeting LGBTQ+ people and same-sex relationships.
His own party leadership had already tried to distance itself from his comments. House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora called his remarks “immature and reckless” and urged him to leave the race.
MacCormack did not exactly respond to defeat with a gracious concession. After the result, the candidate declared himself “the true winner” and attacked Emilio.
So, 90 votes later, apparently the campaign is still not over in MacCormack’s mind.
READ: College Republican Claims Gay Men Are Plotting in Gyms—Yes, Really
Lindell Loses, Then Refuses to Say He Lost
Meanwhile in Minnesota, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell had a rather different problem: he lost by a lot more than 90 votes.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the Republican gubernatorial primary, with almost all votes counted giving her a lead of more than 45,000 votes over Lindell. Demuth received 43.4% compared with Lindell’s 32.5%. The Associated Press called the race for Demuth Tuesday night.
Lindell, however, wasn’t ready to accept the result.
Speaking on his own streaming platform, Lindell questioned why he should accept the AP’s call and insisted that hundreds of thousands of votes remained uncounted. He said he would not give up until the votes were counted.
That stance is particularly notable given Lindell’s long history of promoting false claims that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election because of widespread fraud. His political career has been closely associated with those claims, despite repeated rejection of them in court.
Two Losses, Two Very Different Reactions
MacCormack’s defeat came after months of controversy over his anti-LGBTQ+ statements. Lindell’s came even after Trump’s endorsement and a campaign centered heavily on election-related issues.
One candidate received just 90 votes.
The other received tens of thousands fewer than his opponent.
And yet neither story ended with a particularly conventional concession.
Apparently, somebody forgot to send that memo.