Republican Party leaders know their margin for error is slim heading into November’s midterm elections. Even taking into account the illiberal things conservatives have done to rig the political system in their favor — such as diluting Black voter power through gerrymandering — the party is still facing a significant chance of losing the House, and even the Senate, too.
So candidate quality will be paramount. That’s part of the reason why Victor Mellor is giving fellow conservatives heartburn with his campaign for a congressional seat in Rhode Island that the GOP wants to flip.
Early voting has already begun ahead of the Sept. 9 primary in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, with Mellor competing against the party-endorsed candidate, Stephen Skoly. The winner will face Rep. Seth Magaziner, the Democratic incumbent.
Mellor’s résumé and background are replete with red flags. Extremist MAGA operative Michael Flynn and Rudy Giuliani have both campaigned for him. Mellor also is a self-described “J6er” who has openly admitted being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In June, as The Bulwark reported, Mellor registered as a foreign agent after performing some fairly mysterious work with the Cuban foreign ministry and Raúl Castro’s grandson. He’s also ripe for “carpetbagger” accusations since he was a Floridian up until last year, when he became a Rhode Island resident.
Given all this baggage, it’s understandable that some local GOP power brokers are wary of Mellor’s viability in a general election. Ocean State Media noted that “no local GOP candidate for state or federal office has won since Gov. Don Carcieri got 51.01% in 2006.”
The Rhode Island Current spotlighted such concerns about Mellor in a recent report, including a colorful quote from Skoly: “I think if we can’t get by the primary, this candidate [Mellor] will get destroyed in a general election.”
Not an impartial opinion — but not an unfounded one, either.
Mellor’s campaign, as well as his biography, have drawn scrutiny both in and outside the Republican party. An Aug. 17 Providence Journal article detailing Mellor’s campaign financing — prompted in part by a recent series of sleuthing tweets from former GOP gubernatorial candidate Ashley Kalus — raised questions about the source of more than $2 million Mellor reported loaning his campaign.
Rhode Island Current submitted questions about campaign finances to Mellor, which acknowledged the inquiry and said it was still working on responses.
It’s fair to say that whoever wins the GOP primary will face an uphill battle in trying to unseat Magaziner. But local party elites apparently want a candidate they think can give them a puncher’s chance — and seem resolute in thinking that a victory by Mellor would see their hopes of flipping the seat evaporate.
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