Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, now probably understands why his ambivalent loyalty to former President Donald Trump was a waste of time, energy and political capital. With the Party of Trump, there is no room for moderation or equivocation. Davis now finds himself “primaried,” or challenged in the 2022 primary by a fellow Republican who just won Trump’s endorsement. Davis gambled and lost, sticking with a president who represents everything the four-term Illinois congressman seems to abhor.

Davis’ consistent stands on morality, integrity, frank honesty and basic decency are among the reasons this newspaper recommended him in the 2020 election despite some sharp disagreements we had with him. Polls back then indicated that voters in his district, now newly redrawn, had taken a marked turn toward the political center after four years of Trump’s extremism, and Davis correctly recognized the need to distance himself from the GOP’s most dangerous tendencies. Davis went from voting in sync with Trump 96.9% of the time in the 2016-2017 session, eroding to only 33.3% in 2020, according to an analysis by fivethirtyeight.com.