Mueller came and Mueller went. There will be no impeachment and that is a good thing. The country needs Trump to actually lose the 2020 election, both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Impeachment proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House with no prospect of conviction is simply another opportunity for Trump to play the victim. And even the threat of impeachment may strengthen his support.
The Trump campaign fund had a balance of $56,737,365 as of June 30. He raised more money in the second quarter than any of the Democrats, adding $26.5 million to his already swollen campaign account. There is also $52,956,295 in the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and an additional $19,388,657 in the Trump Victory Committee account.
Meanwhile, there are 24 candidates running to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. There is one former and three current mayors — Pete Buttigieg, Bill de Blasio, Julian Castro and Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Florida — former President Obama’s vice president, seven senators, six current and former congressmen, three governors, an entrepreneur, Oprah’s spiritual advisor and a rich guy, all thinking that they can beat Trump. And I believe that at least one of them can.
But I really wish that some of them would run for the Senate. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is doing her best to stay on the Supreme Court, but we really need a Democrat-controlled Senate.
There are some Senate seats in Texas and Colorado that could be in play. Sen. Cory Gardner from Colorado votes with Trump 90 percent of the time. Colorado backed Clinton over Trump in 2016 and has a Democrat governor. That governor is running for president, as is the state’s other senator.
Either Beto O’Rourke or Julian Castro could have run again Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who votes with Trump 95 percent of the time. Texas is a stretch, but so is the presidency. MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran and unsuccessful 2016 House candidate, has announced a run, so this may now be moot.
Susan Collins will have a challenger, thanks to her support of Brett Kavanaugh. And it would be so sweet if Mitch McConnell lost to Amy McGrath, a dynamic retired combat pilot. It may be a long shot, but Democrats can’t win if they don’t run for Congress, even in red states.
Elections cost a lot of money. The GOP will raise what they need to compete. Elizabeth Warren is showing how to raise money through small donations, as is Sen. Bernie Sanders. But Trump doesn’t have a real opponent and all his money will be spent on attacking Democrats. And Democrats will spend their money trying to win primaries.
As of June 30, all the Democratic candidates combined raised $211 million. The fundraising and the spending will continue as the campaign grinds on. The Iowa caucuses are 193 days away and New Hampshire votes in 201 days.
I have a modest proposal for all the unsuccessful Democratic candidates for president. The Federal Election Commission only allows a maximum direct donation of $2,000 from candidate committees to other presidential candidates, but committees can “transfer unlimited campaign funds to a party committee or organization.”
So, as it becomes clear to Andrew Yang, DeBlasio, or O’Rourke that they will not become the nominee, they could donate their remaining funds to the Democratic Party to support the nominee. Or they could donate their money to state parties to help elect Democrats to the House and Senate.
Normally, candidates keep the money in their campaign accounts, using the funds for donations to charities, or to other candidates. Or they keep it for their next campaign.
But these are not normal times. On Fox News host Sean Hannity’s Thursday show Trump said, “We have some very, very bad people in government that would be willing to do bad things and for bad reasons.” He hired them so he should know.
The threat of a second Trump term is real. As we all have learned in the 2000 and the 2016 elections, the Electoral College decides who becomes president, not the popular vote. The path to victory for Trump runs through majority white rural states with aging populations. If Democrats are going to win the presidency, the party must have a 50-state strategy.
I am donating to my candidate for president. And I am donating to the Democratic Party. And if she isn’t the nominee, I will encourage her to give any remaining presidential campaign funds to the Democratic Party. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll ask for a refund so I can support the party and the nominee.
While I hate the role that big money plays in our political system, that won’t change unless we win elections. I am going to invest my small money in candidates I believe in. I hope the unsuccessful candidates will support the Democratic nominee, with their time and by donating their remaining funds to the party.
Clare Higgins, of Northampton, a former mayor of the city, is executive director of the nonprofit Community Action Pioneer Valley. She can be reached at columnists@gazettenet.com.