ANALYSIS — Republicans are reveling in recent primary losses of candidates preferred by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. But they don’t have to look back very far to see that upset primary winners can get elected to Congress, including some members of their own party.
Democratic strategists tried to tip the scales for family doctor Jasmeet Bains in California’s 22nd District because they believed she gave the party the best chance of defeating GOP Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley. But she finished behind Valadao and local school board trustee Randy Villegas, who has a more progressive reputation.
It’s a similar story in Maine’s 2nd District, where the DCCC got behind state Sen. Joe Baldacci. He finished atop a four-way Democratic field in the initial balloting, but state Auditor Matt Dunlap prevailed through the ranked choice voting process. Dunlap will face Republican former Gov. Paul LePage for the seat left behind by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who declined to seek reelection or run for Senate.
Republicans didn’t miss the opportunity to rub in the results. “Another brutal day for the DCCC after a second embarrassing primary defeat for one of its preferred candidates,” a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson said in a statement. “The progressives are taking control while national Democrats can’t recruit, can’t unite, and can’t even win the primaries they’re trying to rig.”
