Tuesday’s elections in Texas weren’t only the first major primaries of this midterm cycle — they also included an important early case study in how efforts to tip the scales by Democrats in Washington might turn out.
Still riven by the divisive 2016 presidential primary contest, Democrats are struggling to overcome internal differences, setting up a midterm primary season pitting establishment candidates against anti-establishment progressives.
The Democratic primary in Texas’ 7th Congressional District on Tuesday was one such scenario.
Ten days before the election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dropped an opposition research memo on one of their party’s candidates, Laura Moser, a progressive activist and writer who moved back to the district from Washington in April. The goal was to impede the path of a candidate they deemed unelectable in November, judging Moser to be too extreme for a competitive red district. Of course, the irony of Washington insiders attacking one of their own candidates as a “Washington insider” was not lost.
Like the Democratic National Committee’s meddling against Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the 2016 primaries, it was just the sort of move that skeptical progressives detest from the party’s establishment.
But their point is not unreasonable. “When there’s a truly disqualified general election candidate that would eliminate our ability to flip a district blue, that’s a time when it becomes necessary to get involved in these primaries,” DCCC spokesperson Meredith Kelly said in an interview with Vox. “This district is too important to let it go without trying.”
Democrats are facing a tough situation. To flip the House, they need to elevate viable candidates, a task that almost requires the party to favor less progressive candidates in districts like Texas’ 7th. And it’s impossible to do that without inflaming the base, which is needed to ensure turnout is strong next November.
Before the results came in on Tuesday, the DCCC’s efforts already appeared to have backfired — Moser raked in $87,000 after the attack and garnered the endorsement of the Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution.
In a crowded field of strong candidates, Moser managed to finish second when the ballots were counted, only six points behind Lizzie Fletcher — advancing to a runoff, and ensuring this battle will bleed into May.
But the battle will rage on elsewhere, too. Democrats in Washington now need to decide whether their meddling will amount to a net benefit in key races. It’s hard to argue that was the case in Texas on Tuesday night.
