Alabama House Candidate Puts Together 'Conservative Squad' to Counter AOC, Omar, Tlaib & Pressley
You may soon have a conservative version of “the squad” in Washington, courtesy of Alabama House candidate Jessica Taylor.
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Thursday, Taylor — a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in Alabama — appeared alongside three other Republican women running for the lower house in 2020.
Appearing alongside Taylor — a 35-year-old businesswoman running to replace the retiring Martha Roby — were candidates Michelle Fischbach from Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, Beth Van Duyne from Texas’ 24th Congressional District and Nancy Mace from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
In the appearance, Taylor told host Ainsley Earhardt that “we are losing the younger generations of this country” to the left and socialists like Ocasio-Cortez and other members of “the squad.”
Mace agreed. “I love granddads everywhere,” she said, “but this is not your grandfather’s GOP anymore.”
“Democrats have taken a sharp left turn under the socialist squad,” she added.
“2020 is a pivotal year for our country. We see so many women across the country right now, Republican women, who are picking up the mantle and want to serve. They say, ‘Enough is enough — my kids and my country are worth fighting for.’ That’s what this is about.”
The bona fides of the “conservative squad” are also fairly legit.
As Yellowhammer News noted, Fischbach was formerly the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, Mace is a state representative and Van Duyne is a darling of the Texas Tea Party. However, Taylor is the one getting the most attention — at least in part because of a viral campaign ad in which she called out Ocasio-Cortez and talked about putting together her own squad.
In the spot, she discussed how she had made the state final four in high school basketball and how her team “was my squad.”
She talked about being “tired of arrogant socialists like AOC who’ve never even run a lemonade stand tell us how we should live in Alabama and that more government is the answer.”
“I’ll fight to protect life, the Second Amendment, our borders, our military, our families and President Trump from socialists in the swamp,” she said, adding, “Conservatives like us need a squad of our own.”
As for the other members of the “conservative squad,” Taylor told Earhardt she was “just honored they want to join in this fight.”
“This is about bringing the conservative message to the people of the United States,” Fischbach added, “so that people understand that we’re looking at do-nothing Democrats. They’re obsessing about impeachment and not really doing anything for the people of the United States anymore.”
Van Duyne says this is all a matter of political branding.
“You’ve seen time and time again, especially in 2018, you’ve seen Democrats run saying they’re going to be independent and they’re going to be different and they’re going to be really focused on solutions for the American people,” she said.
“All we’ve seen is a focus on impeachment and it’s political theater at the cost of public policy.”
So, what are the chances of them getting elected and the chances of the “conservative squad” being a thing?
Taylor’s seat is a pretty safe bet for her, with the candidate she hopes to replace taking home 61 percent of the vote for the GOP in 2018. Mace will be trying to retake a solidly Republican district in South Carolina; after NeverTrumper Mark Sanford lost his primary in 2018, insurgent candidate Katie Arrington managed to punt a safe seat to Democrat Joe Cunningham. The seat Van Duyne is running for was close-ish in 2018 but has generally been pretty safe. Fischbach may have the most difficult time; while her district is heavily Republican, it’s been represented by Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson since 1991.
If they all get elected, does “conservative squad” become a thing, or will it be a bit like “fetch?”
While “conservative squad” doesn’t get points for originality, let’s face some facts here: “the squad” sounds better than “young socialist extremists” or “newer versions of Maxine Waters.” There’s a certain cool factor to it. “Conservative squad” isn’t quite as cool, but it still beats, say, “growth ladies” or “young conservatives for change” as a tag.
What’s also clear is that these are women with a vision who aren’t from the usual Republican mold. Young and energetic — provided the candidate is experienced enough for the office — beats ossified any day of the week. It also helps that, at least as far as we know, none of them are anti-Semites and none of them believe the earth will end in 12 years.
Given all of that, I’m willing to bet the “conservative squad” has a decent chance of happening. It certainly beats “fetch” and radical socialism.
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