Entire CNN Panel Calls Out Dems for ‘Propping Up’ MAGA Candidates: ‘Undercuts’ Message That the Far-Right is ‘The Greatest Threat to Democracy’

A CNN panel including Manu Raju, Kasie Hunt, Jeremy Diamond, and others questioned the Democratic Party’s strategy to fund ads for more extreme Trump-supporting candidates, arguing that it contradicts their message that former President Donald Trump and Trump-like rhetoric is deeply dangerous.

In recent primaries in multiple states, Democrats have been paying for ads supporting extreme Republican candidates, in the hopes that they will face them in the general election, under the assumption that they will be easier to defeat.

In Maryland, the Democratic Governor’s association financially backed ads promoting Dan Cox, a Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate. Cox won his primary against the current Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R-MD) chosen successor Kelly Shulz.

After displaying one of the ads that ran in Maryland promoting Cox, Raju posed the question, “Larry Hogan said the Democrats are playing with fire. Are they?”

Diamond responded, “I think we need to acknowledge that it is a clear strategy,” continuing “not only have we seen it in Maryland but we’ve seen it play out across gubernatorial races in several other states.”

Diamond argued further:

They are trying to get the more extreme candidate to face the Democrat in the general election. They believe that it gives them a better chance. But of course, it raises the questions that Gov. Hogan raised about them playing with fire and the dangers of this. If Democrats are going to say about these January 6th hearings that democracy is under attack, how can you then also go ahead and prop some of these candidates up?

“It is a huge risk,” added Hunt.

Raju noted that Democrats have used this strategy before and Republicans have done the same from the other side. He then asked the panel whether it can be effective this time around.

Diamond claims that it is “going to be one of the Democrats’ central midterm messages,” that the GOP is “more extreme than whatever you may think about the Democrats’ leftward pull.”

Hunt added that “Propping up these kinds of candidates…is contrary to everything else you are telling the American people about where you stand.”

“If it ends up that some of these extreme candidates that they’ve propped up get elected actually do make moves in 2024 that jeopardize our presidential election process,” continued Hunt, “they’ll have to answer for that.”

Axios’ Hans Nichols added:

It’s not just contrary, it undercuts the whole argument. When Democrats tell you that the greatest threat to democracy is Donald Trump-like candidates and the very fate of our republic rests on defeating them and at the same time they are bolstering them for partisan advantage in a tight race. Both arguments can’t be true. You see why they’re doing it and you see there are obvious strategic advantages and tactical advantages.

Hunt interjected, saying, “It might not work and that’s the difference.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Nichols replied.

“I mean they wished to run against Donald Trump in 2016,” Hunt concluded, “and look where that got them.”

Watch above via CNN.