House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer defended his decision to pressure a progressive candidate to drop out of a Colorado primary, saying it would be “foolish” not to help Democrats win when possible
Hoyer drew fire from the Left when the Intercept published audio of the Maryland Democrat urging the more liberal contender in the race to make way for the party’s preferred candidate.
“Personalities always are important, obviously, but what is really important is to have a Democrat that can win in districts that are tough, so we work towards that end,” Hoyer told reporters Friday in his Capitol Hill office.
In the case of Colorado, Hoyer said, the party backed Army veteran Jason Crow over former Energy Department official Levi Tillemann because Crow was seen by local sources as the best to challenge the Republican incumbent in November.
Crow received two-thirds of the delegate votes in April when he and Tillemann were awarded the top two spots on the primary ballot, Hoyer noted.
“The locals are going to make the decision,” Hoyer said. “But it would be foolish — if asked and in terms of trying to have a working majority so that we can change policies — to not try to put ourselves in the strongest position to be in that place.”
With a record number of candidates running, Democrats are facing crowded primaries across the country. Party officials often intervene in an attempt to shrink the field in the hope that a strong candidate will make it to the general election. But it comes with risks, as Hoyer and other party leaders have been criticized for what progressives see as an effort to swing races toward centrist candidates.
It’s inevitable that there will be some upsets in the primaries, Hoyer said, but leaders are focused on winning back the House.
“It’s not a concern about a particular Democrat, it’s about having a Democrat in the final two who we really think is viable,” he said.
Democrats have the momentum, he boasted, pointing to the Arizona spacial election earlier this week. The Democrat in the race lost, but came within 5 points of the Republican — a bad sign for the GOP. The district went for Trump by 20 points.
It could mean trouble for Republicans in Ohio. Democrats are keeping an eye on the special election to replace GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi. The Democratic primary for the seat is competitive, but party leaders are staying out of it until the general.
“We’ll play in Tiberi’s district because again the momentum throughout the country, in almost every district, is towards us,” Hoyer said.
In California, the Democratic establishment is treading carefully so as not to appear to tip the scales in all of the crowded races. But the top-two primary system is making them nervous.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed a candidate in the California 39th District primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce but is staying out of the three other competitive Orange County races. All four are prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats and went for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Hoyer said there are not plans to intervene in the other three Orange County primaries.
“We think we can pick up all three,” Hoyer said, “but that does not necessarily mean we are going to get into the primary to pick and choose between the candidates.”
Hoyer reasoned that “there are a number of candidates who could win the general,” in those districts.
