Democrats are estimated to have spent more than $53 million across nine states boosting far-right candidates in GOP primary elections in an effort to give the party a better chance at securing victories in November.
The money has gone toward a Democratic strategy that elevates far-right candidates who have questioned or denied the results of the 2020 election, boosting rivals they see as easier to defeat in the general election. The strategy has caused an intraparty divide, as some Democrats have embraced the practice while others have denounced it as dangerous.
HARRIS WON’T JUDGE DEMOCRATS’ PRIMARY GAMBIT OF BOOSTING FAR-RIGHT CANDIDATES
Here’s how it works: Democrats allocate funding toward airing ads that seek to paint far-right candidates as “too conservative” — highlighting their stances on abortion, former President Donald Trump, or guns. The goal is to make those candidates resonate with conservative Republicans who come across the ad, influencing voters to support them in GOP primaries.
Meanwhile, Democratic groups have aired attack ads against most centrist Republicans they view as being harder to defeat in the November election.
The strategy hasn’t been overwhelmingly successful thus far, with Democrats only succeeding in a handful of the races in which they’ve intervened. Overall, Democrats poured money into 13 primaries: six gubernatorial races, two Senate elections, and five House contests.
The party has succeeded in just four of those, with two more races left to be determined in New Hampshire on Tuesday. In those four races, Democrats spent $37.8 million to boost far-right candidates for governor in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, as well as a House race in Michigan, according to data compiled by the Washington Post. Meanwhile, the party failed in seven other races after spending another $11.9 million.
The strategy of boosting far-right GOP candidates has caused a rift within the Democratic Party, with several House members issuing a letter in August that denounced the practice for being dangerous and risky.
“As members of the Democratic Party, we are dismayed by the recent practice of Democratic organizations intervening in Republican primaries to promote candidates who deny the outcome of the last presidential election,” Democratic lawmakers wrote. “These destructive primary tactics aim to elevate Republican candidates who Democrats hope they can more easily beat in November. But it is risky and unethical to promote any candidate whose campaign is based on eroding trust in our elections.”
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It’s unclear how the strategy will play out in the November elections as some Democrats anxiously wait to see if the gamble was worth it. However, others who have openly embraced the strategy say they are getting a head start on attacking GOP challengers before the November election.
“The political decisions that are made out there, are made in furtherance of our winning the election,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters in July. “We think that the contrast between Democrats and Republicans as they are now, is so drastic that we have to — we have to win.”
