Democratic operatives are worried that Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s effort to recount votes in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Trump won narrow victories over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, could end up boosting President-elect Trump and distracting their party from a desperately needed rebuilding effort.

The Democrats hope to regain competitiveness in the Rust Belt after suffering surprise losses there fueled by the defection of white working class voters who supported Democratic candidates for decades. They worry that the possibility of elevating Trump’s image through pointless recounts, and giving him in effect another win, is not a good first step.