Democrats Roll the Dice With Ads Boosting Far-Right Republicans As Part of 2022 Electoral Strategy
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Democrats are redeploying a controversial tactic to help them win races this primary season, supporting right-wing Republicans in primary races in the hopes they are unelectable in general elections.
This, of course, is that tactic that the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign used in 2016, thinking that by elevating Donald Trump Clinton would have a cakewalk into the Oval Office. We all know how that turned out.
Axios reported on Monday that Democrats are using the tactic in ad buys from California to Colorado to Pennsylvania.
In Colorado, a Democratic super PAC put out an ad meant to help far-right state Rep. Ron Hanks in the June 28th GOP primary for U.S. Senate.
“Hanks’ moderate Republican rival Joe O’Dea accused Democrats of ‘hijacking the Republican nomination for an unserious candidate who has zero chance of winning,’” reported Axios.
The ad, which highlights Hanks’s “conservative bona fides,” is backed by a whopping $1.49 million ad buy across the state.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) is considered to be one of the more vulnerable Democrats come November and drawing a far-right GOP opponent would be an undeniable boost to Bennett in a state Biden won by 13 points.
In California, the Nancy Pelosi-affiliated House Majority PAC tried to push the GOP primary for California’s 22nd Congressional District to the right by putting out an ad for Trump-supporting Chris Mathys, who is running against moderate Republican incumbent Rep. David Valadao (R-CA).
The same strategy was tried against moderate incumbent Rep. Young Kim (R-CA). Democrat Asif Mahmood decided to ignore Kim and instead ran ads highlighting GOP candidate Greg Raths, who apologized for anti-Semitic remarks, as his opponent.
The tactic failed as both Kim and Valadao are headed for the general election after California’s June 7th primary.
Democrats, however, did find success in Pennsylvania where they backed controversial candidate Doug Mastriano, who won his primary and is now the GOP candidate for governor. Mastriano is a fierce backer of former President Donald Trump’s debunked allegations that the 2020 election was stolen.
Finally, Axios notes, that in Illinois, “Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association are spending millions to hurt Black veteran Richard Irvin’s chances in the GOP primary and highlight the conservative bona fides of his rival, state Sen. Darren Bailey.”
