‘Nightmare Scenario’: Messy Dem Primary Could Box Party Out Of General Election In Swing District

California Democrats could lose their shot at challenging a Republican incumbent in a battleground district due to an increasingly contentious open primary, Politico reported Thursday.

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado and former state Rep. Rudy Salas, who has the support of major Democratic groups in Washington, D.C., are vying for the chance to take on incumbent GOP Rep. David Valadao in the general election, according to Politico. However, with the state’s contentious “Jungle” primary on March 5, only Valadao and his GOP challenger Chris Mathys could advance to the November election without either Democrat on the ballot.

“The good news is that the nightmare scenario is avoidable with enough resources,” a California-based Democratic strategist told Politico on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the primary’s dynamics. “The bad news is that time is running out.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the House Majority PAC have spent over $2 million combined boosting Salas’ candidacy in the primary, according to Politico. (RELATED: Elections In One Key State Could Make Or Break GOP Control Of The House In 2024)

“The DCCC will do whatever it takes to ensure that MAGA enabler David Valadao is ousted from Congress this November, and Rudy Salas — who came within just over 3,000 votes of unseating Valadao in 2022 — is the best candidate to get the job done,” Dan Gottlieb, spokesman for the DCCC, told Politico.

DC out of touch with #CD22 https://t.co/ksA3Cuc7UH

— Melissa Hurtado (@MHurtadoCA) February 7, 2024

Salas, who was the only Democrat who ran for the seat in 2022, won the open primary by double digits in June, but went on to narrowly lose to Valadao by three points in the general election.

Valadao represented California’s 21st Congressional District for three terms before losing the seat in 2018 to a Democrat. The congressman won back the seat two years later, and now serves in the 22nd Congressional District due to redistricting.

Hurtado has faced pressure to withdraw from the race so as to increase Salas’ chances in advancing to the general election, according to Politico. The state senator has said she launched a congressional campaign with the support from EMILYs List, a pro-abortion advocacy group.

Salas’ campaign launched attacks against Hurtado over abortion on Tuesday, arguing that the Democrat was “hostile to reproductive freedom.” The state senator slammed Salas for what she viewed as lying about her record in the advertisements, and told Politico “he should be ashamed.”

EMILYs List released a memo in July 2023 arguing that Hurtado was in a “very strong position to beat Rudy Salas in a primary,” but has since distanced itself from the state senator after she launched her bid, according to Politico.

“EMILYs List talks to thousands of women running for office,” Danni Wang, deputy director of campaign communications for the pro-abortion group, told the outlet. “We provided Melissa Hurtado with publicly available data about her past electoral performance.”

Salas significantly out-raised Hurtado in the fourth fundraising quarter of 2023, where he brought in $275,884 compared to her $20,129, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Valadao‘s fundraising haul beat all of his Democratic and Republican challengers at $438,720.

The Cook Political Report characterizes Valadao’s seat as in the “Toss Up” category for 2024.

Neither Salas nor Hurtado immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

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