A risky move by the Democrats of spending millions of dollars on far-right candidates during the primaries seems to have paid off with Democratic wins.
A recurring theme throughout the 2022 primaries was the Democratic Party meddling in GOP primaries in hopes of producing weaker and easier-to-beat candidates to face Democrats in the general midterm elections.
Democrats’ efforts were successful in several races where the financially boosted GOP candidate lost to their Democratic opponent.
Here are four races that Democrats meddled in and how much money it took to bring the Democratic candidate to victory.
HERE’S WHEN DEMOCRATIC MEDDLING IN GOP PRIMARIES WORKED BEST AND WHEN IT BACKFIRED
New Hampshire Senate race — Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) vs. Don Bolduc (R)
Democrats poured over $3.3 million into the New Hampshire Senate race alone in an effort to maintain control of the Senate, as Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) was considered to be a vulnerable incumbent in the midterm elections.
GOP leaders had hoped for a more centrist candidate for New Hampshire. Gov. Chris Sununu was projected to be the Republicans’ pick against Hassan, but he declined, paving the way for Bolduc, who has been called “too extreme” by Sununu and other Republicans.
Bolduc won the Republican primary, mostly thanks to Democrats: The Senate Majority PAC spent $3.1 million to aid Bolduc during the Republican primary. Heading into the general election, however, Democrats turned and began blasting Bolduc for his extreme far-right views. With 96.5% of the votes counted, Hassan won reelection with 53.4% of the vote, compared to Bolduc’s 44.6%.
Illinois governor race — Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) vs. state Sen. Darren Bailey (R)
The governor’s race between incumbent J.B. Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey was not projected to be a close one, especially due to the level of effort and money Pritzker and Democrats put into ensuring Bailey’s nomination.
Pritzker’s campaign and the Democratic Governors Association dropped $35 million on ads during the primaries, which attacked Bailey’s more centrist GOP primary rival, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. That was more than triple what Bailey had raised for his own campaign by that point.
Painting Bailey as a far-right candidate after the primaries was not difficult for Democrats, as he was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and vocal about his extreme views on abortion and crime in the Chicago area, calling the city a “hellhole.” Pritzker won reelection by over 10 percentage points, 53.9% to 43.3%.
Maryland governor race — Wes Moore (D) vs. state Del. Dan Cox (R)
Democrats took an opportunity to appeal to the extreme conservative base in Maryland unhappy with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s COVID-19 measures, among other issues.
State Del. Dan Cox proved to be the Democrats’ ideal candidate in the primaries, despite Republicans hoping for a more moderate GOP nominee like former state Commerce and Labor Secretary Kelly Schulz. Cox has been a vocal 2020 election denier and gun rights supporter, something that Democrats used to their advantage.
The Democratic Governors Association’s DGA Action super PAC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on airtime in July to air ads on Cox, painting him as “Trump’s hand-picked candidate” and protector of the Second Amendment.
However, in a state with twice as many Democrats as Republicans, Cox’s stances did not appeal to a clear majority of voters. Instead, Wes Moore won and became Maryland’s first black governor with almost 60% of the vote, compared to Cox’s 37%.
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Pennsylvania governor race — Attorney General Josh Shapiro (R) vs. state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R)
Doug Mastriano was the perfect candidate for Democrats, but not so much for Republicans. A self-proclaimed Christian nationalist who had helped bus Trump supporters to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, no one else could have fit the bill for a far-right GOP nominee.
Democrats and their candidate, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, dropped $840,000 on TV ads highlighting Mastriano’s campaign during the primary — more than double what the GOP candidate spent on his own ad buys. He was elevated as a true Trump supporter and avid 2020 election denier, something the Democrats hoped would help him sail to victory in the primary.
However, as evidenced by his campaign funds and few-and-far-between media appearances, Mastriano proved to be the weaker candidate. Shapiro spent more than $59 million in total as of Oct. 24, supported by a record-breaking amount of cash. He won the governorship, defeating Mastriano 56.1% to 42.1%.
