A group of 35 former Democratic congressmen and senators ripped their party for efforts to prop up election deniers in GOP primaries.
The band of Democrats tore into operatives within their own party, lambasting the spoiler scheme as “risky and unethical” while demanding Democratic Party elites cease the process immediately.
HERE’S WHEN DEMOCRATIC MEDDLING IN GOP PRIMARIES WORKED BEST AND WHEN IT BACKFIRED
“These destructive primary tactics aim to elevate Republican candidates who Democrats hope they can more easily beat in November. But it is risky and unethical to promote any candidate whose campaign is based on eroding trust in our elections. We must stop this practice, and stop today,” the ex-lawmakers wrote in an open letter.
Against the backdrop of adverse political winds and an expected red wave, some Democratic operatives have been engaging in a spoiler strategy in a bid to elevate GOP primary contenders perceived as being fringe and vulnerable in a general election.
Democrats in Michigan, Colorado, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Maryland have reportedly utilized the controversial strategy. They have spent tens of millions of dollars on some of these ventures.
Among the former Democratic lawmakers who signed the letter were ex-Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, a two-time presidential candidate, and former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
“Our democracy is fragile, therefore we cannot tolerate political parties attempting to prop up candidates whose message is to erode our dedication to fair elections,” the group continued.
Democratic election meddling has included the use of facetious ads highlighting primary hopefuls for their 2020 election denialism and other positions perceived as dicey in a general election. In some instances, they have hit centrist Republicans with ads intended to sway primary voters away.
For example, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) has recently claimed that Democrats have been backing a primary challenger who has cast aspersions on the 2020 election. Meijer was one of a handful of House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump and has drawn ire from corners of his base as a result.
Ever since the 2020 election, many Democrats have hailed the Jan. 6 committee’s work and blasted Republicans for denying the election outcome. But now that Democrats have been leaning on the spoiler strategy, many Republicans such as Meijer have accused Democrats of hypocrisy for leaning on the scheme. Even some Democrats have voiced unease about it.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Last week, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, defended the scheme, arguing that while risky, it does make sense in some instances.
“We have a high bar for that. I think if you’re going to do that, you need to really understand what you’re doing,” he told MSNBC last week. “If you’re talking about trying to pick your opponent, you might see us do that, sure. And I think sometimes, it does make sense.”
