Stephen Bannon's war on Republicans 'could cost them the Senate'

Donald Trump's ousted advisor is threatening political civil war

Republicans fear Steve Bannon’s threat to bankroll an “insurgent” candidate to challenge every GOP senator facing reelection, could end up handing control of the Senate to the Democrats.

Donald Trump’s former chief strategist has said he intends to challenge every sitting Republican senator with the exception of arch-conservative Ted Cruz, who was the final serious challenger to Mr Trump during the Republican primary.

The ambitions of the 63-year-old, who has now returned to the helm of the influential Breitbart News, were recently boosted after an anti-establishment candidate he supported in an Alabama Republican primary contest, former judge Roy Moore, defeated the mainstream incumbent backed by Mr Trump and the party’s Washington establishment.

Roy Moore greets supporters at an election-night rally on September 26 in Montgomery, Alabama (Getty Images)

Mr Bannon said this week that other than Mr Cruz, of Texas, no one could afford to sit comfortably as he seeks to “light up” Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.

“Nobody is safe. We are coming after all of them, and we’re going to win,” he told Fox News.

There are many in the Republican Party who fear the actions of Mr Bannon, supported with the war chest of mega-donor Ray Mercer, a technology billionaire, could result in handing over the Senate to the Democrats. Many Democrats also hope this could be the outcome of a bloody civil war within the Republican ranks. Republicans currently control the chamber 52-48.

“If anyone misunderstands what Steve Bannon’s goal is, they have to open their eyes. He doesn’t care if we win or lose the Senate. He doesn’t care about the consequences for the President,” said one Senate Republican aide told The Hill.

“Mr Bannon, it seems clear, does not care about Republicans maintaining their majority in either chamber. He’s putting his former boss’s agenda on the line in his quest of take over and destroy the Republican Party.”

This week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, was among those to denounce Mr Bannon’s ambitions, describing them as “stunningly stupid”.

“The point I would make as a strategist is you got 10 Democrats up next year in states Trump carried,” Mr Gingrich told broadcaster Sean Haannity.

“You have six Democrats up next year in states Trump carried by a huge margin. Now you take the amount of money Bannon is going to raise. If he spent that money in North Dakota, Montana, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia - the fact is you would have such a big Republican majority, you’d pass the stuff you guys want to pass.”

He added: “Creating a civil war inside the Republican Party may feel good, but I think as a strategy, it is stunningly stupid. I’m just being really honest.”

Mr Bannon has already said he is working to find candidates to challenge Republican incumbent senators in Mississippi, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming.

He is also planning to involve himself in House races as well. Last week, it was reported Mr Bannon was supporting former New York congressman Michael Grimm, who is trying to retake his former seat from Congressman Dan Donovan.

Jennifer Duffy, an expert with the Cook Political Report, told The Independent that Republicans were going into the midterms having to protect just nine senate seats, while Democrats were having to hold on to 25, ten of which were in states Mr Trump won.

She said by opening those Republican seats to primary challenges, it would use up resources, and if a very conservative candidate was selected, could make it harder to ultimately win the seat. “Republicans in Washington are very worried,” she said.

Yet some observers believe the threat from Mr Bannon has been overstated. David Corn, political editor of Mother Jones, said while some Republican senators might be vulnerable to a challenge from the right, many of the candidates up for reelection were already “pretty conservative”.

“And finding good candidates is not easy,” he added. “There is not a Roy Moore in every state.”