Escalating GOP feud puts Rep. Michelle Fischbach’s party backing at risk
Republicans worry the latest tensions between establishment and insurgent party activists in Minnesota’s Seventh District could hurt their chances at electing GOP candidates statewide.
Army veteran Bret Bussman had one clear priority when he was elected to lead the Seventh District GOP in western Minnesota last spring: Bridge a long-running divide in the organization between the grassroots conservative base and the so-called establishment wing.
Bussman vowed to begin “healing relationships” between the factions, which have been fighting for years over party endorsements and allegations of manipulated delegate counts.
One year later, Bussman has been kicked out by the party’s executive committee. The same factional tensions are now threatening to block U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach from getting the party’s endorsement at the April 25 convention — potentially forcing her into an August primary for the safely Republican seat.
The episode is the latest chapter in a yearslong feud that echoe…