Bill Maher’s #FlipADistrict Project Enters Final Countdown

There are just two chances left to nominate House GOP lawmakers for ousting at the hands of HBO’s Bill Maher. The political comedian announced during the June 20 “Real Time With Bill Maher” that he has added Republican Reps. Tim Walberg of Michigan and freshman Jackie Walorski of Indiana to his list of incumbents who might be vulnerable in the November midterm elections.
Maher called Walberg a “birther” who recently said Americans were “slaves to humanism, pleasure, sexual perversion, drugs and drunkenness.”
He noted that Walorski lost her election bid in 2010 and suggested she only won her seat in 2012 because of redistricting.
“She is the gerrymandering queen,” Maher proclaimed, “and don’t forget this is what we are fighting against.”
Over the past several months, Maher has been soliciting viewers to use Twitter to suggest candidates to target for the Nov. 4 midterm elections. Maher said he will narrow down the field, bracket-style, and then support that Republican’s Democratic challenger.
Here are the members currently on Maher’s chopping block, and what Maher had to say about them:
- Ted Yoho of Florida — “The name is hardly the stupidest thing about him.”
- Steve Southerland II of Florida — “What this mortician wants to embalm more than anything is food stamps.”
- Mike Coffman of Colorado — “The congressman who said that in his heart [President Barack] Obama is not American, which explains the deal with the Taliban.”
- Michael G. Grimm of New York — “He seems to be all of Staten Island instilled in one man.”
- Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan — “His constituents there in the 11th District are very excited about the prospect of a Kerry-less future.”
- Scott Garrett of New Jersey — “I read up on you, you are probably going to win, but you are kind of a d*ck.”
- Blake Farenthold of Texas — “He is the poster boy for why we are doing this.”
- Dan Benishek of Michigan — “He’s a medical doc who says global warming is all baloney.”
- Steve King of Iowa — “No, not Stephen King. This guy’s even scarier.”
- John Kline of Minnesota — “He actually wrote a bill to reduce the deficit by raising rates on student loans.”
- Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin — “The biggest fish we’re trying to grab, and then stab.”
- Renee Ellmers of North Carolina — “Her opponent is [‘American Idol’ star] Clay Aiken.”
Christina Bellantoni contributed to this report.