‘I Wouldn’t Be Doing It’: Klobuchar Not Sold on Democratic Party Strategy Backing Fringe MAGA Candidates in GOP Primaries

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is not sold on Democrats boosting far-right candidates in Republican primaries for the purpose of a perceived advantage.

Klobuchar joined AC360 Friday evening to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, but was asked about “meddling” by her party in Republican races by guest host Jim Sciutto.

Sciutto invoked the race of Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), who lost his primary race this past week, thanks in large part to money spent by Democrats.

The host said Meijer’s opponent, Donald Trump-backed election denier John Gibbs, was “propped up” by money from Democrats.

“Is it acceptable for Democrats to be boosting election deniers among Republican candidates in primaries?” he asked her.

Klobuchar responded:

Well, I wouldn’t be doing it in my race. I’ve never done things like that. But, I think you’ve seen this kind of behavior on both sides of the aisle. We’ve seen Republicans messing around as well.

What I would like to see through all of this, I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, and I think that’s why you’re seeing Democrats doing it, too – because Republicans have been doing it – I’d like to see better campaign finance laws.

Democrats have spent big money during primaries this year to boost fringe candidates against moderate opponents, or GOP incumbents viewed as more mainstream.

No race more perfectly captures the efforts of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to offer Democrats an advantage in November than the primary of Meijer.

Meijer, a first-term Republican who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, lost to Gibbs in a close race.

Democrats poured $425,000 into the race to boost Gibbs against Meijer.

Axios reported:

Trump endorsed Gibbs’ challenge after Meijer voted to impeach the former president over his role in fomenting the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Meijer, a freshman, had been in Congress just days when he took that potentially career-ending vote.

Now Democrats, who see Gibbs as the more beatable general election opponent, are fueling the Trump-backed effort to oust one of his few remaining GOP critics in next week’s primary.

Meijer criticized Democrats after he conceded the race to Gibbs, WOOD-TV reported:

Shortly before midnight, before conceding, Meijer criticized the DCCC political committee for funding late advertisements for Gibbs — a move apparently made in an effort to promote a candidate Democrats felt they had a better chance of beating in November.

“I know a lot of even my Democratic colleagues in Washington have been outraged at just the cynicism and hypocrisy that that represented,” Meijer said.

Watch above, via CNN.