Democratic enthusiasm has been mounting in the lead up to the 2018 midterms. There has been a nationwide spike in Democrats running for office at every level of government. While excitement is great for party momentum, it has also resulted in crowded primary fields populated by candidates across the ideological spectrum.
The first primaries of 2018 just happened on Tuesday. The results coming out of Texas indicate that a number of trends that emerged in 2016 seem to remain as driving forces amongst voters and the Democratic Party alike.
Trend 1: The Democratic Party establishment in Washington continues to play favorites
In 2016, the Democratic National Committee pretended they were neutral in the primaries when they were really biased in favor of Hillary Clinton. In 2018, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is making it no secret that they plan to play favorites in crowded primaries to, at least in their mind, help the candidate best suited to win the general emerge from a primary. Sounds a lot like the Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders rationale coming from Washington last election cycle.
In Texas, the DCCC was scathing in their opposition to progressive activist Laura Moser, a Democrat running in the 7th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Houston area. Moser used the DCCC’s dirty tactics to her benefit, asserting that it is better to be an outsider than hand-picked by the party.
Trend 2: It’s still good to be an outsider (or at least look like one)
We all know 2016 was the year of the outsider, with both Trump and Sanders emerging as anti-establishment heroes. In Texas’ 7th District, Moser pulled an upset and is now in a runoff against party favorite Lizzie Fletcher, who is also endorsed by the influential pro-choice organization EMILY’s List.
In Texas’ 32nd District, former NFL player Collin Allred emerged as the top vote-getter going into the May Democratic runoff, even though he did not run any TV ads and did not raise any real money.
Trend 3: Big money doesn’t necessarily translate into big votes
Both Moser and Allred had less money than their other primary opponents whom the establishment deemed more credible candidates. In 2016, Clinton spent more money than Sanders and still lost a number of primaries and caucuses. Trump spent way less than candidate Jeb Bush, and Bush folded early in the GOP primaries. Fast forward to the 2016 general election. Once again, Clinton was the big spender, but still came up short in the Electoral College.
It is difficult to tell how much these trends will translate into similar general election outcomes in November, especially since both Texas’ 7th and 32nd Districts are held by GOP incumbents who represent districts that voted for Clinton.
Regardless, it seems the early winds of the midterms continue to lay bare a Democratic Party beset with internal friction and a disconnected establishment in Washington that thinks they know better than the voters outside the Beltway.
It’s time for my party to allow candidates to reflect their district and allow Democratic primary voters to make their own choices. In the case of Moser, the DCCC called her a “carpetbagger” because she moved back to Texas a year ago. What happens if Moser emerges from the runoff and is the Democratic nominee against incumbent GOP member John Culberson? The Dems just handed an attack to Culberson.
Eating our own is not a way for Democrats to win elections or grow our party.
Capri Cafaro (@thehonorablecsc) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a former member of the Ohio State Senate, where she was the Senate minority leader. She is now an executive in residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs.
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