Disappointing as he’s a great guy who would’ve been a net positive, but continues the trend from 2022 of the highest-tier Republican recruits not running simply out of contempt for the idea of being in the Senate.
No offense (I think you understand where I’m coming from), but when a user who has dedicated much of his life to ensuring that Democrats are elected to public office and can pass their legislation without facing public backlash is "disappoint[ed]" that a particular Republican won’t be the nominee, you know we’ve really dodged a bullet when said Republican dropped out of the race.
This is a safe red seat where the GOP can’t afford another Murkowski/Romney-type defection. The Democratic caucus has always managed to stick together no matter what (in part because Democrats put party loyalty above everything else in a quasi-religious manner), there’s no reason for Republicans not to follow suit and let Democrats outmaneuver them once again.
It seems rather unremarkable that left-of-center people would want the furthest left feasible Republican nominees in Safe R states but not necessarily the furthest right Democratic nominees in Safe D states.
