GOP takes revenge on female candidate who criticized Trump for assaulting women

Kim Guadagno, New Jersey’s current lieutenant governor, is campaigning to succeed the scandal–plagued Gov. Chris Christie, Trump loyalist and reported errand boy.

The most recent polling shows Democratic nominee Phil Murphy with a commanding 29 point lead.

Despite the clear need for help for her campaign, two of the Republican Party’s key groups who fund and support gubernatorial candidates are refusing to aid Guadagno, or are doing no more than the minimum to support her campaign.

The Republican National Committee isn’t contributing anything, and the Republican Governors Association (RGA) has only made a minimal contribution to her campaign. By comparison, NJ.com reports that the RGA spent $9 million on Christie’s two campaigns.

Why are Republicans freezing out their own candidate? Because she spoke out against Donald Trump when the audio of him reveling in sexual assault with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush was released during the presidential campaign.

In response to the audio, Guadagno said, “No apology can excuse away Mr. Trump’s reprehensible comments degrading women. We’re raising my 3 boys to be better than that.”

Trump, who controls the purse strings of the RNC now, has apparently not forgiven her for speaking up for women. According to an insider within the RNC’s top leadership, he “is unhappy with anyone who neglected him in his hour of need.” Other sources told NJ.com that the RGA is also unlikely to invest any more money with Guadagno.

Republican women have been on the receiving end of dismissal and derision by Trump and his allies, showing that sexism is one of the few true bipartisan initiatives Trump has delivered on.

In the Senate, Republican women were blocked from the planning for the health care repeal bill, and while they raised alarms about backlash to the legislation’s draconian effect on the country, especially women, they were ignored.

The dismissal came back to bite Republicans, when female Republican senators became pivotal to shutting the bill down, along with attempted follow-ups by Trump ally and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Given that the Republican plan would be especially detrimental to women, including cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood, refusing to include women was clearly a bad decision by the men of the GOP.

Republicans haven’t learned their lesson. Republican women were singled out at the conservative site RedState in a post declaring “war” on Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Shelley Moore Capito for their role in the repeal failure.

Loyalty to Trump is the new litmus test for the right, and even if it means ignoring assault against women or stripping their health care, those who step out of line are being punished.