{"id":27994,"date":"2020-11-18T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/18\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:17:34","slug":"top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/11\/18\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Top GOP post on House Armed Services Committee draws tough competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The decision on who will replace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/defense-news-conference\/2020\/09\/20\/thornberry-on-overseas-priorities-funding-and-advice-to-his-successor\/\" target=_blank>Rep. Mac Thornberry<\/a> as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee will be resolved in a few weeks, but the campaign for his seat has been underway for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and House Strategic Forces Subcommittee ranking member Mike Turner, R-Ohio, have been quietly campaigning for the influential post even before Thornberry\u2019s retirement announcement last year. Now, with a final resolution a few weeks away, the showdown is heating up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HASC\u2019s unique bipartisan traditions make its ranking member influential, and that leverage should grow with Democrats in a slimmer majority and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/10\/07\/democrats-face-internal-fight-on-defense-spending-says-smith\/\" target=_blank>fractured<\/a> on national defense issues. The ranking member can act as an unofficial restrictor plate in the process of drafting the panel\u2019s annual National Defense Authorization Act, able to say what provisions would be too controversial for Republicans and then decide how combative he and his members will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers and Turner declined to be interviewed for this story, but both potentially have strong arguments for the role as knowledgeable, longtime members of the committee. Their styles both mirror Thornberry more than some of their better known (and more controversial) GOP colleagues: strongly conservative, but also level-headed and willing to seek out bipartisan compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House GOP Steering Committee is expected to hold a closed-door vote in early December. But for months, the leadership contenders have lobbied members individually. In past races, some lawmakers have even produced glossy brochures to outline their priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/04\/08\/rep-mike-turner-on-why-hes-softened-on-space-force-and-the-importance-of-an-east-coast-missile-defense-site\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-459518980.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Rep. Mike Turner on why he\u2019s softened on Space Force, and the importance of an East Coast missile defense site<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The lawmaker seems more supportive of plans to establish to Space Force, but that doesn&#039;t mean Congress will accept the administration&#039;s proposal as is, he tells Defense News.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their final arguments will come immediately before a vote, where Rogers and Turner are each expected to make a presentation to the entire caucus outlining their respective national security agendas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner, a 60-year-old former mayor of Dayton and former president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, is a longtime advocate for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and for robust defense budgets. He\u2019s known for agitating under House Speakers Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and John Boehner, R-Ohio, to unite their party in fully funding the Pentagon\u2019s requests in the face of statutory budget caps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner opted out of a previous bid for the top Republican spot on HASC in 2014. Then, Thornberry, who was the panel\u2019s vice chairman at the time, was chosen by party leaders to succeed retiring Rep. Howard \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon, R-Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a move that went virtually unnoticed in Washington, McKeon and Boehner endorsed Turner when he announced his bid to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/dayton\/news\/2020\/09\/16\/turner-vies-for-top-republican-spot-on-house-armed.html?source=email\" target=_blank>Dayton Business Journal<\/a> two months ago. McKeon and Boehner are lobbyists since leaving Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs Speaker of the House, I worked with Mike to bring jobs home to Ohio,\u201d Boehner said in a statement to the newspaper. \u201cMike has been a fierce advocate for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Congress and has served on the Armed Services Committee since being elected. Mike will make for a strong top Republican voice on the Committee, and I know he will continue to fight for our national security and Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent weeks, Turner has said his top priority is \u201cto defend the topline for the overall defense budget\u201d in favor of \u201cgrowth of 3-5 percent over the next several years to be able to accomplish modernization&#8221; and to carry out existing defense plans. That figure echoes what defense leaders said they would need to realize the Trump administration\u2019s National Defense Strategy after it launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/07\/12\/trump-is-actually-helping-nato-says-former-alliance-official\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-459518980.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump is actually helping alliance, says former NATO parliament chief<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, talks to Defense News about South Korea, the U.S. president, NATO, Russia, Syria and more.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner has been a tough foe for Democrats, but also a friend. Last year, Turner was a top voice for Republicans who refused to support the House\u2019s first go at a 2020 NDAA over Democratic \u201cpoison pills,\u201d and he blasted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/06\/13\/low-yield-nukes-lose-partisan-fight-in-hasc-ndaa-markup\/\" target=_blank>draft prohibition on deploying lower-yield nuclear weapons<\/a> as \u201cpartisan and irresponsible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Turner has teamed with Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., to add diversity-focused personnel and reporting in the services, and he\u2019s worked alongside other panel Democrats in a yearslong fight to strengthen the military justice system against sexual assault. Turner has offered bipartisan legislation on military sexual assault every year following the 2007 rape and murder of his constituent, Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner and Rogers are equal in seniority and have broadly similar records on defense, but it appears Turner has been the louder voice on countering Russia and China as well as adapting the Pentagon to compete with them. As a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, Turner spent time in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/rep-mike-turner-even-with-adam-schiff-having-no-evidence-president-trump-will-be-impeached\" target=_blank>national<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/11\/17\/politics\/mike-turner-donald-trump-impeachment-inquiry-cnntv\/index.html\" target=_blank>spotlight<\/a> discrediting Democrat-led impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump \u2014 even earning a Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daytondailynews.com\/news\/local\/president-trump-applauds-rep-mike-turner-questioning-tweet\/pEU2wezqw1cEItuWjkY7ZO\/\" target=_blank>shoutout<\/a> from Trump himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Rogers, 62, likely has the edge in the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A source familiar with Rogers&#8217; thinking said the lawmaker will emphasize his conservatism and argue that he is closest to Thornberry in temperament and approach. \u201cHe can get big things done, he can work across the aisle for the most conservative product. We can roll up our sleeves and work together, or punch you in the mouth and go at it if Democrats decide to go with a partisan [defense] bill,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-915514166.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. House Armed Services ranking member Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, unveiled a new round a defense reform proposals this week. (Photo by Alex Wong\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers, whose deep red district hosts Anniston Army Depot and part of Fort Benning, is expected to tout his role as an architect in what eventually became the Space Force \u2015 the first new military branch since 1947 \u2015 in tight cooperation with Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., when they led the Strategic Forces Subcommittee together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First arguing in 2016 that the Air Force was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/01\/18\/the-pentagon-no-longer-has-a-leader-on-space-programs-what-does-that-mean\/\" target=_blank>lagging<\/a> behind Russia\u2019s and China\u2019s nascent anti-satellite capabilities, the duo fought resistance from the Pentagon and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/09\/18\/new-space-force-price-tag-fuels-skepticism-on-capitol-hill\/\" target=_blank>Republicans who worried<\/a> about adding bureaucracy \u2015 all of this before Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/03\/14\/trump-touting-space-force-puts-air-force-in-awkward-spot\/\" target=_blank>support in 2018<\/a> gave the idea the political momentum it needed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/12\/17\/congress-adopts-defense-bill-that-creates-space-force\/\" target=_blank>become real<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House GOP Steering Committee chooses chairmen based not only on seniority, subject matter expertise and leadership, but also fundraising ability on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee \u2015 which is where Rogers achieved a decisive advantage across the last election cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner was reelected this month with an 18 percent lead, but the Democratic Party declared his district part of its \u201coffensive battlefield,\u201d which helped his young challenger out-fundraise the veteran lawmaker. Because of Turner\u2019s tough race, he had less cash to contribute to the NRCC, whereas Rogers, who had a less-serious reelection fight, contributed much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers contributed $1.12 million to the NRCC (including $100,000 during the two weeks prior to Election Day), which placed him within the top 10 of all members. Turner contributed $561,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMike Rogers went above and beyond this cycle to get Republican members elected, and folks in the [House Republican] conference recognize that,\u201d a Republican strategist told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Turner is a formidable debater and questioner, multiple congressional and industry sources said Rogers\u2019 Southern charm has given him a leg up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone knows everyone, and Turner is generally acknowledged as a harder-edged guy, harder-driving and a bit of a hothead to some members,\u201d a former congressional staffer told Defense News. \u201cRogers, I think, has an upper hand in the race because he\u2019s more affable and just has a more appealing personality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who is just after Thornberry in seniority, isn\u2019t a candidate, his office told Politico. Virginia Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/03\/04\/lawmaker-floats-boeing-squeeze-play-for-troubled-kc-46\/\" target=_blank>Rep. Rob Wittman<\/a>, the ranking member on the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, is a contender, but close observers said the race is really between Rogers and Turner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner is said to be focused on winning the HASC job, but if he is passed over, another coveted spot could be open to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Turner could be considered to replace ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who is angling for the top Republican slot on the House Ways and Means Committee. Several sources on Capitol Hill said it could help Nunes hop committees if he observes a cooling-off period in between.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet the two lead contenders to replace Rep. Mac Thornberry in the coming weeks as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":60137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[8,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-27994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RGUP5FJ3MNDR7ERRPXPOF4UGZE","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2020\/11\/18\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top GOP post on House Armed Services Committee draws tough competition - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet the two lead contenders to replace Rep. Mac Thornberry in the coming weeks as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top GOP post on House Armed Services Committee draws tough competition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet the two lead contenders to replace Rep. Mac Thornberry in the coming weeks as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/11\/18\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-18T10:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:17:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Top GOP post on House Armed Services Committee draws tough competition\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-11-18T10:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:17:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1335,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/image-10.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Top GOP post on House Armed Services Committee draws tough competition - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/18\\\/top-gop-post-on-house-armed-services-draws-tough-competition\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/image-10.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-11-18T10:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:17:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Meet the two lead contenders to replace Rep. 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