Democrats have spent millions backing G.O.P. candidates they think would be easier to beat in general elections. Illinois Republicans picked the Democrats’ candidate, but Colorado Republicans didn’t take the bait.
Summary
Democrats have spent millions backing G.O.P. candidates they think would be easier to beat in general elections. Illinois Republicans picked the Democrats’ candidate, but Colorado Republicans didn’t take the bait.
- Billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent $35 million to prop up the campaign of far-right state Sen. Darren Bailey in the G.O.P. primary for Illinois governor.
- Republican voters obliged their Democratic governor and picked Pritzker’s preferred candidate, who was also supported by billionaire Richard Uihlein and a last-minute endorsement from Donald Trump.
- Meanwhile, Colorado Republicans rejected candidates funded by millions of Democratic dollars in the G.O.P. primaries for governor, secretary of state, U.S. Senate, and in the open 8th District.
- Center-right Colorado Republicans Heidi Ganahl, Joe O’Dea, Pam Anderson, and Barbara Kirkmeyer all easily won their primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of state, and U.S. House, respectively.
- Democrats spent millions this cycle to prop up weak Republicans. Their efforts paid off in the primary for Pennsylvania governor but failed in California’s 22nd and 40th Districts.
- Democratic efforts to meddle in Republican primaries continue in Maryland’s G.O.P. primary for governor, where progressives plan to spend $1 million to bolster Dan Cox over popular incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan’s preferred candidate Kelly Schulz.
- The Washington Post profiled Joe O’Dea, the G.O.P. nominee for Senate in Colorado. National Republicans believe O’Dea “could spell serious trouble for incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet.”
- New York Magazine compared the “significant and distinct choices” made by Colorado and Illinois Republicans on Tuesday, noting that “now Democrats have to deal with more difficult opponents” in Colorado.
- CNN tied Tuesday’s primary results to news out of Washington about the January 6 hearings and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
- Jonah Goldberg blasted Democrats for “spending big to boost politicians they see as a fascist threat,” pointing out “a lot of people worried about the fragility of ‘our democracy’ are part of the problem” in a column for The Dispatch.
- Charles C.W. Cooke noted in National Review Democrats have spent a staggering $42 million meddling in G.O.P. primaries. Cooke wrote, “I don’t want to hear anything further from that Democratic candidate about the importance of preserving norms.”
- Fox News wrote Bailey was not the only winner of the Illinois G.O.P. primary for governor – “Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and national Democrats can also claim victory…thanks to a massive meddling campaign.”
Author’s Take
Democratic meddling in G.O.P. primaries isn’t a new phenomenon. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill’s gambit to elevate Rep. Todd Akin in the 2012 G.O.P. primary for Senate paid off. Akin imploded and McCaskill won reelection even as Mitt Romney carried her state easily.
But for the record – just because the opposing party thinks a candidate would be easier to beat, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right. Rush Limbaugh’s plot to get Republicans to vote for the ‘weaker’ Democrat in the 2008 primary – the so-called ‘Operation Chaos’ – was predicated on the notion Barack Obama would be easier to beat than Hillary Clinton. Oops. The Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign believed in their bones Donald Trump would be the easiest candidate for them to beat and tried to elevate Trump in the primary at every turn – truly, a foolproof plan.
William F. Buckley’s “rule” calls for Republicans to support the most conservative candidate who can win a general election. If Democrats are so eager to face a candidate that they’re willing to spend millions on their behalf, that should be a giant red flag to Republican primary voters.
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© Dominic Moore, 2022
