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U.S. House candidate John Gibbs, a 2020 election denier backed by former President Donald Trump, failed mightily this week in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District race.
Democrats released ads to boost Gibbs during his primary race against Rep. Peter Meijer, one of just 10 House Republicans who voted in support of Trump’s second impeachment last year.
Their thinking was that Gibbs’ extremist views would weigh him down in the general election. And ultimately, they were proved right: Gibbs lost to Democrat Hillary Scholten.
Clearly, the voters in Gibbs’ district did not want a representative who once argued that women shouldn’t have the right to vote and has supported Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
But, let Gibbs tell it — his loss had nothing to do with him or his policies.
In arguably the worst “concession” statement of this year’s midterm elections, Gibbs posted an unhinged screed after returns showed he was en route to losing. And he tried to brush off any responsibility.
“Through no fault of our own, the results did not turn out the way we wanted,” Gibbs claimed, before going on to falsely suggest voter fraud may have cost him the race. “Though our hearts are broken, we continue to ask that God’s will be done.”
Oh, John. I believe God has spoken.
Gibbs’ complete lack of self-awareness is remarkably consistent with Trump’s. But it shows how Trump-loving candidates easily adopt the former president’s habit of deluded self-aggrandizement despite lacking the clout to live up to it. Even relative no-names who’ve run clearly flawed campaigns, like Gibbs, are just as assured of their own greatness as Trump. As Gibbs has proved, it can be funny to watch them brought down to earth.