{"id":2245922,"date":"2024-05-16T12:14:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T16:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-republican-who-protected-adam-schiff-from-censure-faces-serious-challenger\/"},"modified":"2024-05-16T12:17:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T16:17:16","slug":"top-republican-who-protected-adam-schiff-from-censure-faces-serious-challenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-republican-who-protected-adam-schiff-from-censure-faces-serious-challenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Republican Who Protected Adam Schiff from Censure Faces &#8216;Serious&#8217; Challenger"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-republican-who-protected-adam-schiff-from-censure-faces-serious-challenger%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2245922&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Summary: The article discusses the primary challenge faced by Representative Tom Cole\u200b of Oklahoma, who defended a Democratic figure and opposed conservative interests. Paul L. Bondar, a \u200bwell-funded newcomer, challenges Cole, highlighting issues like Cole&#8217;s stance on Adam Schiff and appropriations. The article outlines the \u200bcandidates&#8217;\u200b strategies,\u200d including heavy campaign spending and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/social-security-is-the-latest-topic-ron-desantis-and-nikki-haley-are-fighting-over\/\" title=\"Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley clash over Social Security\">key policy differences<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/%20\"><span>C. Douglas Golden<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   May 16, 2024 at 7:23am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Well, this is what happens when, as a Republican, you protect one of Congress\u2019 most notorious Democratic liars while voting against conservative interests in important spots: You get primaried \u2014 and by someone with money to spend.<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, is facing several primary challengers \u2014 but one sticks out, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomavoice.com\/2024\/05\/14\/cole-takes-on-well-financed-challenger-in-race-for-oklahomas-fourth-congressional-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oklahoma Voice<\/a>: Paul L. Bondar, which the outlet called \u201ca newcomer with deep pockets who recently moved into the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Cole has represented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/oklahoma-ban-pornography-legislators-proposal-slap-watchers-2000-fine-prison-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oklahoma<\/a> in Congress for over 20 years, he\u2019s been forced into spending hundreds of thousands in the run-up to the June 18 primary to fight off Bondar \u2014 a political newcomer who previously worked in insurance and said he\u2019s running in the district because Cole has \u201cturned his back\u201d on the voters who keep sending him back despite a lack of \u201cconservative values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bondar faces some headwinds because he doesn\u2019t live in the Fourth Congressional District, which Cole represents. He recently moved to Oklahoma from Texas and resides outside the district in Stonewall, although he registered to vote in the state one day before filing to run.<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s worth noting that one need not reside in the district to contest a House election; according to the Constitution, they merely need to be a legal inhabitant of the state in which they\u2019re running, in addition to being 25 years old and an American citizen for seven years.<\/p>\n<p>Bondar promises to be a permanent fixture on the Oklahoma political scene, however: \u201cIf I lose the election, I\u2019m running again, and I\u2019m staying in Oklahoma,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s right. That\u2019s right. This is not one and done. I\u2019m here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hot-mic-catches-fox-news-host-republican-votes-jordan-mccarthy-speaker-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cole<\/a> has argued that Bondar is an outsider, while acknowledging he is \u201cin a serious fight when somebody shows up with this kind of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Should Tom Cole be primaried out?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe know he moved to Texas recently,\u201d Cole said. \u201cWe found out obviously that he voted in Texas. Then all of a sudden, he registers in Oklahoma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And he has spent: Bondar has invested at least $2 million for ads in stations that broadcast in the district\u2019s area, including in Oklahoma City, Lawton, and Wichita Falls, Texas, according to Federal Communications Commission filings the Oklahoma Voice looked at.<\/p>\n<p>Cole has spent over a half-million of his campaign money on ads, the filings show. Neither figure includes the amount of PAC money that may have poured into the race, which would likely favor Cole.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI find it quite funny that he says I\u2019ve come to buy his seat,\u201d Bondar said, pointing to so-called \u201cdark money\u201d that Cole has access to from PACs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-gov-hopefuls-side-with-union-in-fight-over-virginia-school-closures\/\" title=\"Dem Gov Hopefuls Side With Union in Fight Over Virginia School Closures\">special interest groups<\/a> that are backing the incumbent.<\/p>\n<p>So, why a run at his seat? For one, he was one of the 20 Republicans who voted against an initial censure motion against former House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff of California last June, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/4050563-these-20-house-republicans-voted-to-block-resolution-to-censure-adam-schiff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>. That censure motion, for helping push the Russiagate hoax during his time leading the committee, failed because some Republicans had an issue with a $16 million fine that would punitively punish Schiff financially for the $32 million that Robert Mueller\u2019s special counsel investigation cost voters.<\/p>\n<p>Cole would later <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2023283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vote<\/a> for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/house-dems-throw-floor-temper-tantrum-schiff-officially-censured\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">censure resolution<\/a> that did not include the fine.<\/p>\n<p>The Oklahoma representative not only backed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy against conservatives who voted to oust him, calling it a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/cole.house.gov\/media\/weekly-columns\/finishing-houses-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">disastrous move<\/a>,\u201d he said afterwards that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/several-big-name-rinos-target-house-freedom-caucus-chairman-ousting-kevin-mccarthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">McCarthy\u2019s ouster<\/a> should mean that appropriations cuts demanded by fiscal conservatives as part of the original deal that made McCarthy speaker should no longer apply, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/10\/08\/tom-cole-mccarthy-deal-00120502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis agreement was faulty from the beginning. It\u2019s changed over time, and now in a sense, it doesn\u2019t exist at all because McCarthy isn\u2019t the speaker anymore,\u201d Cole said in October. \u201cSo we\u2019re not really bound by this agreement now. That will be an interesting thing the new speaker will have to hash out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, this isn\u2019t a man who learns things from experience.<\/p>\n<p>Cole has also continued to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/interactive\/2024\/04\/20\/ukraine-israel-border-funding-house-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vote<\/a> for unchecked aid to Ukraine and also cast a ballot to <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2024119\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reauthorize<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/republicans-demand-answers-fbi-widespread-fisa-violations-reportedly-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a>, both of which have become increasingly unpopular with conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>Does this mean that he has a chance of losing? This is an interesting \u2014 and telling \u2014 tidbit from the Oklahoma Voice: \u201c<em>Democratic political consultant and lobbyist Pat Hall<\/em> said turnout in the June primary could be a factor. Hall, <em>who has contributed and voted for Cole previously<\/em>, said it could be low because there are not a lot of contested races in the district.\u201d [Emphasis ours.]\n<p>\u201cAre Oklahomans going to be stupid enough to blow it?\u201d Hall said, presumably rhetorically.<\/p>\n<p>Depends. Are they stupid enough to listen to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/longtime-democratic-strategist-james-carville-scared-young-voters-turning-horrifying\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Democratic political consultant<\/a> who just happens to contribute to and vote for the Republican incumbent?<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div id=\"author-info-44670\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44670\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44670\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44670\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44670\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he&#8217;s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he&#8217;s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-leaves-for-delaware-as-russians-prepare-to-take-kyiv\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Leaves for Delaware as Russians Prepare to Take Kyiv\">enjoys spending time<\/a> with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties). <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Morristown, New Jersey <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Catholic University of America <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English, Spanish <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  American Politics, World Politics, Culture <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary \u00a0By C. Douglas Golden \u00a0May 16, 2024 at 7:23am Well, this is what happens when, as a Republican, you protect one of Congress\u2019 most notorious Democratic liars while voting against conservative interests in important spots: You get primaried \u2014 and by someone with money to spend. Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the House<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":2245923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Tom-Cole.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2245922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Tom-Cole.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2245922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2245923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2245922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2245922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2245922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}