By D.G. Martin

The Wall Street Journal editors turned their newspaper’s attention to North Carolina last week.

In a Sept. 19 article headlined “Republican Party Kamikazes,” The Journal editors wrote, “In North Carolina and D.C., the party’s suicidal impulses are on display.”

If you want to understand why Republicans keep losing elections they should win, events this week in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., are illustrative. The party keeps nominating candidates whose record makes them unelectable in competitive races, and too many candidates who happen to win in safe GOP seats have no interest in governing.

The Journal editors continued their discussion of Mark Robinson’s situation, “The meltdown of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the GOP nominee for governor of North Carolina, is embarrassing to behold. His campaign was already in rough shape before CNN reported that he had once called himself a ‘black NAZI!’ and defended slavery on a pornographic forum. The network said he posted the sexually explicit and graphic messages from 2008 to 2012 on ‘Nude Africa,’ a pornographic site with a message board. CNN said he posted that he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, including ‘tranny on girl porn.’”

Robinson quickly released a video that denied CNN’s report and North Carolina Republican Party also supported him saying “Mark Robinson has categorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won’t stop the left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks.”

Although the Journal reported Robinson’s denial, it asserted that “CNN’s trail of internet evidence looks compelling.”

The Journal continued, “One reason the story has resonated politically is that Mr. Robinson is already famous for his incendiary public declarations. He has said homosexuality and transgenderism are ‘filth.’ He has campaigned against the separation of church and state and made polarizing statements on race and education. He is losing badly to Democrat Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general, for the open governor’s seat.”

North Carolina GOP primary voters nominated Mr. Robinson anyway. The Journal’s editors say it is “another example of Republicans falling for someone who claims to be a ‘fighter’ but whose language and extreme positions make him toxic in a general election.”

Republicans did the same in nominating Doug Mastriano for Pennsylvania governor in 2022. Donald Trump endorsed both men. “That cost the Harrisburg statehouse for another four years.”

Robinson’s situation could depress GOP turnout in North Carolina for the November election.

That could hurt Donald Trump in a state he needs to defeat Kamala Harris and regain the White House.

The Journal editors point out that extremist Republican candidates from the “kamikaze” wing are doing their dirty work in other areas.

When House Speaker Mike Johnston tried to have the House pass legislation to fund the government after the current budget expires.

Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the proposal.

Johnson now must come up with a funding bill that can attract Democrats in the House if he wants to avoid a government shutdown.

“That means accommodating some of their terms, which means no policy reforms and a funding extension that runs right up to the Christmas holiday. That’s what Senate Democrats and the big spenders in both parties want so they can jam another omnibus spending blowout into law and skip town.

“A shutdown would be politically stupid on the eve of an election. Republicans would get blamed, they’d end up caving in the end, and voters would have one more reason to wonder why they should elect a GOP House.”

The Journal editors say, “The larger GOP problem is that many on the right care more about their political brands than accomplishing something. Their seats are safe, and if Republicans lose the House because colleagues lose swing seats, so what? The kamikazes get more airtime on cable in opposition. They also don’t have to vote for messy compromises that make incremental progress.”

“Mr. Johnson has tried to accommodate all sides of his unruly GOP conference, but he can’t placate the implacable. It won’t be his fault if Republicans lose the House in November, but the kamikazes will blame him anyway. A party that can’t manage to fulfill a basic obligation of government — passing a budget — doesn’t deserve the majority. GOP voters will keep getting the policy defeats their feckless ‘fighting’ champions guarantee.”

D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch.