Democrats Accuse the Party of Corrupting the Primary Process With ‘Red to Blue’ Initiative
“You cannot argue that democracy is on the ballot in November while narrowing democracy in the primaries from now through August.”
We got some infighting within the Democratic Party.
Democratic candidates in primaries have blasted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) over its “Red to Blue” initiative, which is reserved for top-tier candidates.
The DCCC picked 12 candidates to prop up in an effort to flip those districts and retake the House. It seems these candidates will receive more support and money than others.
“Parties play an important role in building infrastructure and supporting nominees, but voters must choose those nominees freely,” wrote 17 of the primary opponents of the 12 candidates. “Open primaries, transparent processes, and robust debate are not obstacles to victory — they are the path to it. The Democratic Party will be strongest when voters, not insiders, choose its nominees.”
Here are the 12 candidates the DCCC endorsed:
- AZ-02 – Jonathan Nez (Eli Crane)
- AZ-06 – JoAnna Mendoza< (Juan Ciscomani)/li>
- IA-01 – Christina Bohannan (Mariannette Miller-Meeks)
- IA-03 – Sarah Trone Garriott (Zach Nunn)
- MI-04 – Sean McCann (Bill Huizenga)
- NC-11 – Jamie Ager (Chuck Edwards)
- PA-08 – Paige Cognetti (Rob Bresnahan Jr.)
- PA-10 – Janelle Stelson (Scott Perry)
- TN-05 – Chaz Molder (Andy Ogles)
- VA-01 – Shannon Taylor (Rob Wittman)
- VA-02 – Elaine Luria (Jennifer Kiggans)
- WI-03 – Rebecca Cooke (Derrick Van Orden)
“Candidates earn a spot in the program by surpassing aggressive goals for grassroots engagement, local support, campaign organization, and fundraising,” according to the DCCC press release.
The quick endorsement of those candidates led 17 Democratic primary candidates to release a joint statement criticizing the party for trying to sabotage the process.
“We are six months out from a primary … it is absolutely infuriating,” said Jason Knapp, a candidate in Virginia’s 1st Congressional district, as reported by Axios. “This is exactly what we as Democrats have been complaining about for years and we’re just doing it again.”
Knapp’s opponent, Shannon Taylor, received the DCCC endorsement.
Taylor faces six people in her primary. A few, like Knapp, have raised significant money, too.
“Primaries are not an inconvenience, they are the foundation of democratic legitimacy,” said 17 primary opponents of the endorsed candidates. “Constituents deserve the opportunity to compare ideas, hear open debate, and decide for themselves who will represent them rather than being told who to vote for.”
The coalition includes:
- Iman Bah, AZ-06
- Travis Terrell, IA-01
- Xavier Carrigan, IA-03
- Diop Harris, MI-04
- Zelda Briarwood, NC-11
- Dr. Richard Hudspeth, NC-11
- Paul Maddox NC-11
- Dr. Joyce E. Neal, TN-05
- Dr. Jim Torino, TN-05
- Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs, VA-01
- Salaam Bhatti, VA-01
- Lewis Littlepage, VA-01
- Mel Tull, VA-01
- Dr. Nila Devanath, VA-02
- Patrick Mosolf, VA-02
- Matt Strickler, VA-02
- Emily Berge, WI-03
The candidates pointed out that early endorsements influence the primaries instead of allowing them to win on their own. It could affect fundraising, access, and viability in the eyes of the voter.
“You cannot argue that democracy is on the ballot in November while narrowing democracy in the primaries from now through August,” the coalition added. “If a candidate is strong, they should be able to earn support in open competition. Protecting them from competition is not confidence.”
Ouch!
“We go through a long process, making sure that we’re looking at folks who are running really strong campaigns,” DCCC chair Suzan DelBene (D-WA) fired back. “These are all strong candidates, they’re the ones who are going to be the general election candidate and they’re the ones that we think can win the general election.”
At least the party admits that it only cares about winning, not its voters.
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Comments
“We go through a LONG process, making sure that we’re looking at folks who are running REALLY STRONG campaigns,…take Kamala Harris for example.”
As you point out this is just too rich. Complaining now about something that you just did is such a gift for Republicans to point out. I wonder which party is a threat to Democracy now?
Hahaha… this is what the democrats in MA always do. There are the central committee approved candidates and then there are others. The central committee does everything to kick the unapproved candidates off the ballet.
Democrats turning on their own. It’s a beautiful thing. Destroying democracy in order to save it. All that is needed now is their old smoked filled rooms and then you could say they returned back to their roots.
A deep blue CD in a deep blue State is effectively a sinecure and there’s only so many to go around. That’s the problem the d/prog face with their insistence on prioritizing tribalism; a diversify olympics must be held and a single winner chosen which makes every other tribe wonder whether they will ever get a turn. Lots of d/prog ‘soldiers’ out there who’ve put in decades of loyal service being promised that if they wait patiently they get a turn. CA is kinda reflective of this with ‘black’ d/prog operatives seeing ‘latino’ operatives or Asian, Indian operatives pass them over. Add in the religious tribal overlay of Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical (and that’s just the people of the book)
plus the d/prog insistence that sexual orientation must be ‘represented’ and there’s lots of sharp elbows contesting for very few positions.
Yeah, but these are not “deep blue” districts. The whole point of this program is to pick candidates in districts now held by Republicans, who the DCCC thinks have the best chance of winning those districts in November. That can mean candidates who can draw voters who voted Republican last time, which almost automatically means they’re less likely to appeal to the Democrat base who vote in the primary. So this program is trying to give them a leg up in the primary to counter that.
Sure but ztakddot and I are discussing deep blue CD/States such as the specifically named State of Massachusetts.
Obviously that’s not quite the same playbook in a purple or potential swing CD. The similarities exist though. The d/prog party bosses are still anointing their preferred candidate in the primary putting their thumb on the scale to try and create a pre determined outcome. Sure it will be a candidate that appeals to some crossover GoP voters which means slightly less appeal to d/prog base but given the flighty nature of rinos and so called ‘moderate’ voters the candidates selected ain’t exactly gonna be Barry Goldwater but more like a Manchin at best. Especially considering the slings and arrows aimed at Fetterman who is a center/left populist.
“The candidates pointed out that early endorsements influence the primaries instead of allowing them to win on their own.”
As a result, there was a long line of candidates waiting outside the Performing Arts Center in hopes of receiving an endorsement from Bill Clinton.
When Clinton, who had spent the day performing at the Performing Arts Center, was asked why he was with young girls, explained that Monica had grown up.
So Communist voters and politicians are whining that the Party is making the choices instead of them. Shove it, Commies! This is what totalitarianism looks like – the totalitarianism you have always lusted for, where the elites makes all the decisions. What did you think it meant?
It’s a big club, Commies – and you ain’t in it!
Hey, being given a ballot with one guy on it and having the “freedom” to vote yes or no is a time-honored communist tradition.
Thrift store Obama really is a dumb DEI picked by Pelosi.
But he wears a mean Sombrero.
I know a woman who was a Bernie supporter at the 2016 Dem convention when Hillary and the party forced him to the sidelines. She came back so broken-hearted! She’s likely still a Dem, and likely still hasn’t caught on that power is more important to her party than democracy.
An email I wrote to a friend on the night of the 2024 election:
Trump appears to have 277 EVs. Harris can’t catch him. Trump seems to have won.
Going to bed now. We’ll see how things are in the morning.
What’s truly incredible is that it was so close. Half the country is stupid. Dumb as a box of rocks.
They continue to vote D when the party screwed Bernie Sanders in 2016, to run Hillary, who then lost.
The Ds propped up a senile old man, lied and concealed his mental state. But they thought Joe could win, and winning is the only thing they care about. They don’t give a shit about the country or the voters (they lied to everyone about Joe, meaning they lied to their voters too).
When they could no longer hide Joe’s condition, they dumped him as unable to win, ignored 14 million primary voters and selected Harris. Again, because they thought she could win, not because she was the primary voters’ choice, not because she’s good for the country.
And they saddled the party with a phony know-nothing who lost.
Republicans may be transforming/reforming their party. When will the Dems wise up? Being the party of nutters is not good for the Dems and not good for the country.
Trump’s domestic policy seems designed to peel off some center/left populists from the d/prog by addressing some of their core concerns; health care, price of pharmaceuticals, ‘affordability’ in general, rising home prices, soaring rent, price of fuel/electricity. It’s a twofer b/c those issues appeal to his own center/right populist base. Then there’s the common sense/collective wisdom parts; keep tranny away from children, protect the homeland, secure border, interior immigration enforcement (which indirectly helps lower rent/home prices and increase wages as illegal aliens are removed) strong military used in limited engagement to achieve specific/limited ends not neocon ‘nation building’, tariffs to create better balance of trade and increase domestic manufacturing.
dnc communists have been worming their way up through the takeovers of small cities and then into city councils b/c the threat of violence is always their quiet calling card