Democratic strategists are increasingly worried that candidates running long-shot campaigns are soaking up too much attention and resources ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Some of the Democrats running against the party’s “most reviled Republican foes” are starting to be seen as threats to efforts to maintaining congressional majorities, according to a report Thursday.
SUPREME COURT WEIGHS WHETHER TO REINSTATE DEATH PENALTY FOR BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER
Challengers to controversial Republican incumbents, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have little chance of turning a red seat blue, prompting questions about if those financial resources would be more useful in districts or states that could be flipped.
One unnamed Democratic strategist told the Hill that while Democrats should run against those incumbents, “the problem is when those long-shot races start distracting from the ones that are actually competitive and will decide the majority.”
“Democrats should compete in every district, in every state,” Chris Hahn, host of the Aggressive Progressive podcast and a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, told the Washington Examiner. “The best defense is a good offense.”
But others asked if some candidates were just trying to make a name for themselves in races they cannot win.
“Are they running for self-serving purposes because they have nothing to lose?” Michael Ceraso, a progressive consultant, told the Hill. “Or are they running because they really have something at stake in their community and they want to change that?”
The report comes as long-shot congressional candidates raise more money than ever.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Jay Goodliffe, a political scientist at Brigham Young University who studies campaign contributions, told FiveThirtyEight in August that the lucrative environment for long-shot candidates is fueled by small donors looking to make their political preferences known.
“You’re not expecting to affect the election with your $100 donation,” Goodliffe said. “You may not even be expecting to be able to call up that person and ask to have a meeting with them. You’re just donating because you feel good about that.”
