The DCCC's unusual new target: Democratic candidates
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Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is employing an unusual tactic to blunt what they say is Republican meddling in their primaries:
- They have teamed up with the candidates they see as the "strongest" in key battleground districts, launching joint ad buys to squeeze out their Democratic primary opponents.
Why it matters: This practice has infuriated parts of the party, particularly the progressive wing.
- "If DCCC were a good judge of electability, then we wouldn't be in the mess we're in," said Ravi Mangla, a spokesperson for the progressive Working Families Party, in a statement to Axios.
- DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement that "the stakes are incredibly high for the midterms" and it is "critical that Democrats have the strongest candidates possible in November to take back the House."
Driving the news: The DCCC roiled certain corners of the party earlier this month by endorsing a slate of "Red to Blue" candidates in key battleground House districts that still had credible primary opponents.
- Jasmeet Bains, a California state Assembly member who is fighting with progressive political science professor Randy Villegas — who has led in fundraising and is neck-and-neck with Bains in polls — to take on Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.).
- Bob Brooks, the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association, who dispatched three relatively well-funded opponents in his primary and will face off with Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.).
- Marlene Galán-Woods, a former TV news anchor in a primary field of five other candidates including former Arizona state Rep. Amish Shah, who defeated Galán-Woods in the 2024 primary for the same seat.
- Joe Baldacci, a Maine state senator whose primary opponents for retiring Rep. Jared Golden's (D-Maine) seat include state Auditor Matthew Dunlap and former House staffer Jordan Wood.
- Johnny Garcia, a sheriff's deputy in a runoff with therapist Maureen Galindo, who finished first in the March primary but has been widely disavowed by Democrats for antisemitic comments.
Zoom in: The DCCC has now spent money in three of these primaries, launching joint ad buys with Bains, Brooks and Garcia, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact.
- They spent over $100,000 on an ad buy boosting Brooks, who says in the party-backed spot: "There's a lot of politicians in Washington, not a lot of folks like us. ... D.C. is a dumpster fire and we're going to put it out."
- They have put more than $45,000 into supporting Bains — roughly half of which was placed on Tuesday — with ads touting her as someone who will "stop the cruel cuts and do what's right."
- Most recently the DCCC placed $35,000 on an ad buy attacking Galindo for her comments and labeling her "MAGA Maureen."
Between the lines: What these races have in common is that Democrats are accusing Republicans of meddling in each one.
- An obscure new group called Lead Left PAC spent over $1.2 million on ads attacking Brooks and supporting one of his opponents, Lamont McClure, and has put another $900,000 into ads supporting Galindo.
- The PAC's website says it "stands against MAGA extremists who will infect our country with Donald Trump's agenda" but reportedly had a link to GOP fundraising platform WinRed in its metadata.
- While House Republicans have stayed quiet on whether they are behind Lead Left PAC, they have openly spent money trying to boost Villegas.
The bottom line: "We believe our Red to Blue candidates represent the best chance to help Democrats win in the general election and why shady Republican groups have spent for Bains, Brooks, and Garcia's primary opponents. They know it too," said Shelton, the DCCC spokesperson.
- To some progressive groups, that simply isn't enough justification: "We're seeing all over the country that voters want populist candidates who aren't in the pocket of Big Tech and corporate elites," said Mangla.
