Politics & Government
Minnesota Republican Ripped For Op-Ep Blaming John McCain
John McCain's daughter Meghan called Rep. Jason Lewis' op-ed "abhorrent."
EAGAN, MN — After losing his seat in the U.S. House to Democrat Angie Craig last week, Republican Jason Lewis is embroiled in controversy for an op-ed he wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
On Veterans Day, the newspaper published Lewis' piece, titled "Who Lost The House? John McCain." In it, Lewis says the GOP lost control over the House because McCain voted against a bill to repeal Affordable Care Act.
"The Republican Party lost its House majority on July 28, 2017, when Sen. John McCain ended the party’s seven-year quest to repeal ObamaCare," writes Lewis.
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"House leadership had done an admirable job herding cats. On the second try, we passed the American Health Care Act in May. Then McCain’s inscrutable vote against the Senate’s 'skinny repeal' killed the reform effort."
According to the Minnesota Republican, "McCain’s last-minute decision prompted a “green wave” of liberal special-interest money, which was used to propagate false claims that the House plan 'gutted coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.'"
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McCain, a war hero, Senate icon, Republican maverick and former presidential nominee, died of brain cancer in August.
The blowback to Lewis and his article was swift. Media members, Minnesota voters, and even McCain's own daughter Meghan voiced their disgust at Lewis targeting the late Senator.
This is abhorrent. https://t.co/dPpjYcwk81
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) November 12, 2018
Absolutely disgraceful @WSJ ran an oped by defeated @RepJasonLewis blaming John McCain for R's losing the House Things that contributed to Lewis losing his seat by 6 points: calling women "sluts" & shaming sexual assault survivors Things that DIDN'T contribute: John McCain https://t.co/ffhL5m03zV
— Julie Tarallo (@julietarallo) November 12, 2018
This is disgusting. Jason Lewis, a GOP congressman defeated last week, blames John McCain for Republican losses in the midterms bc of his no vote on ACA repeal. It’s appalling that Lewis and his team thought this piece—which is filled with lies—was OK.https://t.co/KNr6rDHMKv
— Haley Byrd (@byrdinator) November 12, 2018
Voters: We hate Republican health care & don’t trust them at all on pre-existing conditions Jason Lewis: If only John McCain had let us repeal ObamaCare I’d have won! … yup, he’s ready to go back to right-wing media …
— David Brauer (@dbrauer) November 12, 2018
think about all that went into this. Jason Lewis — a defeated R — thought the reason Rs lost was bc McCain, a recently deceased senator & American hero, voted no on Obamacare He then wrote that op-ed. he submitted it. And the WSJ decided to run it on Veterans Day.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) November 12, 2018
Constituent of Jason Lewis’ here. He lost bc he had 0 (ZERO!) open town halls, says hateful things about women, people of color & LGBTQ folks. He doesn’t even live in our district! The day Sen McCain voted against ACA repeal, the people of #MN02 breathed easier. Election Day too. https://t.co/aFVQDEwJkr
— Erin Maye Quade (@ErinMayeQuade) November 12, 2018
So glad we are rid of this embarrassment. Jason Lewis should be ashamed. But we know he's not cause he knows no shame. https://t.co/ZbDkz3LcxK
— Camille Gage (@CamilleGage1) November 12, 2018
Lewis — a Trump-endorsed candidate who voted in line with the president's position 91.1 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight — lost after serving a single term in Congress.
He was defeated by Angie Craig, a progressive and the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Minnesota.
Also read: 6 Minnesota Election Stories You May Have Missed
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Photo: US President Donald Trump greets Jason Lewis, Republican US Congressman from Minnesota's 2nd district, at a campaign rally on October 4, 2018 at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Trump is holding rallies across the U.S. ahead of the midterm elections November 6. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
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