Bannon Gathers Donors As He Launches War On GOP Establishment

by SEAN MORAN
Breitbart
Oct. 18, 2017

Frustrated with Republican incumbents' inability to pass any significant legislation, the Republican donor class started meeting with Breitbart News Executive Chairman and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon over his plan to primary establishment Republicans.

Former White House chief strategist and Breitbart News executive chairman Steve Bannon met with notable Republican donors, many whom remain frustrated by the Republican establishment's inability to pass significant legislation such as repealing and replacing Obamacare, tax reform, and funding a southern border wall. The Republican donor class will consider backing Bannon's campaign to challenge Senate Republican incumbents in the war against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Bannon reportedly is lining up a series of primary challengers whom he believes will back President Donald Trump's agenda.

Andy Surabian, a senior adviser to the Great American Alliance and ex-White House aide, told Breitbart News, "We're planning on building a broad anti-establishment coalition to replace the Republican Party of old with fresh new blood and fresh new ideas."

Surabian added, "The only thing the Republican establishment has succeeded in is clarifying to the American people that they don't represent their interests," Surabian added. "Their repeated failures to govern have only crystallized their lack of vision or backbone. The group of candidates we are looking to support in 2018 are all bound together in their agreement that the new Republican Party must be bold in their thinking and aggressive in their tactics."

Bannon met with Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus; Marcus reportedly vented about his lack of return on investment in Senate Republicans. Marcus, in the last six months, donated $2 million to a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as tens of thousands of dollars to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), only to watch the Senate fail repeatedly.

Mitch McConnell recently folded under populist pressure and decided to extend the Senate's workweek into Fridays and possibly even the weekend to fulfill the president's agenda.

Bannon met with venture capitalist John Childs, who recently donated $400,000 to McConnell's 2014 reelection. Bannon also discussed the 2018 mid-term elections with Gore-Tex heiress Susan Gore, a major backer of libertarian causes. The Breitbart News executive chairman huddled with Sheldon Adelson, one of the Republican party's most prominent donors. Bannon also met with Eric Crown, the longtime backer of Senate GOP reelection efforts.

Marcus signaled that he is willing to back Senate Republican primary challengers, although he will give Republicans until the end of the year to pass significant legislation and then weigh his options.

Marcus's adviser Steve Hantler said, "Like many donors, if the gridlock continues in Washington, Mr. Marcus will consider new approaches to breaking the gridlock, including those proposed by Steve Bannon and others."

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