In December 2019, a group of top Republican strategists formed a political action committee aimed at defeating President Donald Trump. They called it . And they proceeded to spend more than $78 million on a series of ads, many of which went viral (another, a billboard in Times Square, ).
Now Trump is on his way out, and the Lincoln Project is turning its focus to 鈥淭rumpists鈥� 鈥� and within that group, it鈥檚 labeled Sen. Josh Hawley 鈥減ublic enemy No. 1.鈥�
鈥淗e was someone we had our eye on, but he鈥檚 certainly front and center now,鈥� co-founder Reed Galen explained on Tuesday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air. He said the Lincoln Project would begin running anti-Hawley ads on local airwaves tomorrow.
It dropped the first online ad last week:
What we know for sure is that would rather rule in a dictatorship than serve in a democracy. His will not be forgotten or forgiven.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln)
Hawley has found himself the target of bipartisan enmity for , a highly unusual step now linked forever to the riot that led to pro-Trump extremists storming the Capitol. Now several of his most prominent backers say they have serious remorse 鈥� former Sen. John Danforth called his support 鈥溾�� 鈥� and one corporation's PAC is .
Galen said Hawley鈥檚 actions rise to the level of sedition because he operated in bad faith in challenging Pennsylvania's results.
鈥淣ot one iota of election fraud has been verified,鈥� Galen said, later adding, 鈥淭his is a shiny intellectual who wants to prey upon what he believes to be the stupidity of average Missourians and average Americans.鈥�
In its yearlong blitz against Trump, the Lincoln Project showed a special talent for getting inside the president鈥檚 head, triggering unforced errors. Galen said it plans to use the same tactics against Hawley, suggesting he is vulnerable because he is 鈥渋ncredibly sensitive.鈥�
鈥淧eople who have the level of elitism, and arrogance, that is their operating norm, believe that no one is smarter than them, and no one has the right to criticize them for anything, which is why I think you鈥檝e seen him react so badly,鈥� Galen said, referencing Hawley鈥檚 . 鈥淲e will continue to dissect Senator Hawley and understand what it is that makes him upset, and we will continue to do that until he decides it鈥檚 no longer worth the effort to continue to serve as United States senator, and make sure that he is never A, the Republican nominee for president, and B, president of the United States.鈥�
Hawley鈥檚 office has issued a statement saying: 鈥淚 will never apologize for giving voice to the millions of Missourians and Americans who have concerns about the integrity of our elections. That鈥檚 my job, and I will keep doing it.鈥�
Galen said the Lincoln Project supports the effort to expel the lawmakers who challenged the Electoral College certifications. He noted it would take 17 Republicans to go along with the 50 Democrats in the Senate on an expulsion vote.
鈥淚 believe there are probably 17 Republicans who would love to see Hawley and Ted Cruz gone, because they are now an enormous headache to their efforts,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o I think it鈥檒l be an easy vote? No. But I would venture to say it鈥檚 a real possibility.鈥�
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . The audio engineer is .
