Trump volunteer launches House bid against ‘stupid, lackluster cowards’

A Donald Trump volunteer coordinator has launched a bid for an open House seat in Minnesota, calling his opponents “stupid, lackluster cowards.”

Matt Erickson, a spokesman for Minnesotans for Trump, has filed to run in a crowded GOP primary for the open seat in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, UpTake reported.

“We have to cut the bull if we want to have a great nation again. We have to build America first,” Erickson said in a fiery, rambling campaign announcement speech that included multiple references to himself in the third person.

{mosads}“Why are the politicians not saying that? Answer: They are stupid, lackluster cowards. We need real leaders with brains, energy and guts. Matt Erickson is the only one this race who can win. I am the only one with brains, energy and guts. These others running for Congress, they don’t have it. They will not build America first.”

Near the end of his speech, Erickson compared himself to former President John F. Kennedy.

“I am basically John F. Kennedy. I look in the mirror and I ask myself each morning, ‘Matthew David Erickson, what can you do for your country today?’ And the answer comes back, ‘I will do my goll-danged darnedest,’” Erickson said.

Erickson’s entry into the race further muddles an already-messy GOP primary for the seat vacated by retiring Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.). 

Jason Lewis, a former talk radio host, has been endorsed by the district’s Republican Party after winning a majority of votes at a convention last month. Kline, meanwhile, is backing businesswoman Darlene Miller to replace him. Former state senator John Howe is also a contender in the GOP primary.

Whoever wins the August 9 primary will face Democrat Angie Craig in the November general election.

Even though Kline held the seat for 13 years, the district is considered one of the most competitive races this cycle. Nonpartisan political prognosticators including the Cook Political Report and the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rate it as a “toss up.”