The Primary

Thomas Massie raised money from all fifty states.

He raised it from people in states he does not represent, from districts that have no vote in his elections, because they wanted a congressman who would vote the way his constituents wanted and their own congressman would not do it.

Massie lost his primary tonight to a candidate backed by $35 million in outside spending.

(The people who funded the $35 million also do not live in his district. Everyone in this story was representing a district they were not from. The election was held in the district. The district voted.)

Massie's supporters described him as the last principled vote in the House. This may be true. It turns out "principled" is not a criterion in a primary election. The criterion in a primary election is votes. The votes were in his district. His district voted.

The people from all fifty states sent money. They did not send votes. They are not allowed to send votes. That is the system. The system produced this outcome and the system calls this representative government.

The word "primary" means first. It comes before the general election. The general election determines who represents the district. The primary determines who gets to be in the general election. The primary was won by $35 million.

Massie will not be in the general election. The district will be represented by someone. The someone will be selected through a process that cost thirty-five million dollars and was called democracy.

The people from all fifty states who funded him are also represented by their own congressmen. Those congressmen voted the way the institution wanted. That is why the people from all fifty states were funding someone else.