Democrats are reportedly going to bat for a Trump-aligned Republican primary contender in a New Hampshire congressional race, marking the latest effort in their controversial spoiler strategy campaign.
Democrats Serve, a political action committee that seeks to elevate Democrats with backgrounds in public service, has purchased over $94,000 worth of TV ads to prop up Bob Burns in the primary race for the state’s 2nd Congressional District against Keene Mayor George Hansel, viewed as the more formidable challenger, who boasts the backing of popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, Politico reported.
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“Meet Bob Burns, the ultra-conservative candidate for Congress,” an ad for Burns funded by Democrats Serve says. “Burns follows the Trump playbook on immigration, the border, and guns. If we send Bob Burns, the ‘unapologetic conservative,’ to Congress, New Hampshire is gonna get burned.”
Similar to other Democrat-funded spots promoting GOP primary hopefuls, the ad by Democrats Serve plays it coy, touting Burns as the “ultra-conservative candidate” and asserting that the state will “get burned” if he wins. With the ad and others like it, Democrats are seemingly trying to beguile GOP primarygoers into voting for Burns, thinking he is weaker in a general election than Hansel.
Burns and Hansel have been entangled in a tight race for the Republican nod, with polls often pegging them within the margin of error of each other. Although the 2nd District is widely perceived as a safer bet for Democrats than New Hampshire’s 1st District, the party appears keen on taking aggressive steps to safeguard incumbent Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH).
In contrast to Burns, Hansel has billed himself as more of a centrist Republican, saying he is “pro-choice” and advocating for policies aimed a combating climate change. At one point, the mayor attended a Black Lives Matter rally and backed mask mandates, the Concord Monitor reported.
Hansel’s moderate positions have the potential to peel off crossover voters from Kuster in a general election showdown. New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the country, and polling has shown that over two-thirds of Granite State voters are opposed to heavy restrictions on abortion.
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Throughout the midterm election cycle, Democrats and affiliated groups have meddled in GOP primaries in hopes of elevating candidates perceived as weak in a general election. This strategy has included fervent deniers of the 2020 election results and has spanned states such as Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
So far, the spoiler machinations have been met with mixed results, with Democrats accruing apparent victories in Illinois and Maryland while suffering setbacks in places like Colorado. Only time will tell whether the strategy will backfire in the general election. New Hampshire’s primary is slated for Sept. 13.
