The raw political calculus that underpins the Democrats’ midterm election strategy is at odds with President Biden’s core political message that democracy is in peril.
said a Mastriano victory would be a “win for what Donald Trump stands for.” But Barletta, too, has long aligned himself with Trump’s agenda.
Although Democrats didn’t get every far-right opponent they paid for, the primary meddling was partly successful. Six of the Trumpier candidates whom Democrats elevated went on to capture the GOP nomination — two running for House seats, one for a Senate seat, and three for gubernatorial offices, including Mastriano.
In Michigan, for example, the DCCC spent $425,000 on ads with the effect of bolstering the more conservative candidate. An ad that ran during the Republican primary said that GOP candidate for Congress John Gibbs was “hand-picked by Trump” and mentioned that he had called Trump “the greatest president.” Those points amounted to an implicit rebuke of Gibbs’ opponent, Rep. Peter Meijer, who was one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 riot.