Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended Democrats meddling in Republican primaries because the opposing party leadership is “existential” on “Morning Joe” Tuesday.
Psaki said Democrats have donated money to boost the campaigns of Trump-endorsed candidates because Republican leadership is a so-called threat to a slew of “fundamental rights” for many Americans. Democrats and the media have at times referred to these very candidates as “far right” and “extremists” and a fundamental threat to democracy, even as the national arms of the Democrat Party fund their primary wins.
“I think what’s left out of that story, and a lot of Democrats tell me when I’ve asked them about this, is they see the leadership of Kevin McCarthy or Mitch McConnell to be existential to the rights of women, to the right to vote, to fundamental rights for people across the country. Democrats and Republicans have been playing in primaries for decades, they’ve been putting money in,” Psaki said.
Psaki mentioned the Sept. 14 New Hampshire primaries, wherein candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump won their campaigns. She said the Democratic involvement in Republican primaries is a viable election strategy “about trying to win,” even if the strategy could occasionally backfire.
“It’s been true this cycle as well, I mean if you look at New Hampshire, the Democrats and the Republicans were both trying to boost up the moderate Republican who did not win the primary because they thought he would win. This is not about morality on the Republican side, this is about trying to win on both sides and that’s what they’re doing,” the former press secretary continued.
“So, it’s not without risk, yes, there’s critiques that should happen here because our democracy is at risk, but at the same time, this is three dimensional politics, people trying to win and Democrats trying to hold back control of at least one house of Congress because they’re worried about the risk of rights to people in this country,” she concluded. (RELATED: CNN Anchor Confronts Pete Buttigieg About Democrats Meddling In GOP Primaries)
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Governors’ Association (DGA) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit Trump-backed Republican candidates who questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election, believing it would boost their own chances of winning in general elections.
The DGA spent more than $821,000 on campaign ads in support of candidates further to the right of the spectrum to beat out the moderates, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Trump-endorsed congressional candidate John Gibbs defeated his moderate Republican incumbent challenger, Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, in Tuesday’ race following the DCCC spending nearly $450,000 into ads supporting Gibbs in the last two weeks of the race.