We had a similar problem around here with Tom Davis in the House. The Republican legislature finally caved and tossed in enough Democrats that it wouldn't be worth him running again, and now we have a Democrat district ~ a PERMANENT ONE! Used to be competitive but that's all gone.
As long as Davis' "friends on the other side" had Tom to vote for they'd vote the rest of the ballot Republican as well. So, he was a RINO ~ nothing new about those guys, but if you don't have replacement voters, getting rid of a RINO can destroy a vote to organize the House, or the Senate, or the state legislature, or the county council, or the city council, or....... the soil and water conservation board.
The overriding problem is that virtually all legislators are attorneys. They have always had their good ole boy club and it is worse in legislative halls. Knock the hell out of each other for public consumption and then whoever wins gets to be the guest at the other’s dinner party.
We are at odds with the Republicans in our legislature because they did the redistricting and let the Democrats have what they wanted, including redistricting Allen West’s district so he could not win it.
They are all in it together to separate as much of our money from us to get it into theirs.