Democrats are reportedly spending millions of extra dollars in California in an attempt to prevent a primary “disaster” that would hurt their goal of regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives this year.
The problem they face in several Republican-held districts they hoped to win is that they have too many candidates. Under California’s “top two” or “jungle” primary, the top two finishers in the June 5 primary will advance, regardless of party. But there are so many Democratic candidates in some primaries that they may split the vote enough for two Republicans to finish in the top two spots, shutting Democrats out of the November contest.
According to a report in last Friday’s New York Times, the Democratic Party “and allied groups are spending more than $4 million on just three campaigns, intervening in one contest to prop up a favored candidate; attacking a Republican from the right in another; and even reminding people not to waste their votes on ‘ghost candidates’ who have dropped out yet remain on the ballot.”
The New York Times noted: “The painful twist is that what seemed like the Democrats’s most valuable asset in the midterm campaign — the wave of liberal activism unleashed by President Trump — has metastasized into a mortal threat because of the glut of candidates.”
The Hill also recently noted that an analysis of Federal Election Commission data found that “total outside spending in those June 5 primary races had eclipsed more than $8 million as of Friday.”
Democrats in California are reportedly most worried in Orange County and San Diego, where Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is retiring and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)is up for reelection.
So far, $3.3 million has been spent through outside spending in the fight to replace Issa’s seat with either a Republican or Democrat. Meanwhile, in $3.2 million in total outside spending has been spent in Rohrabacher’s district.
The Times also reported that “the main House Democratic ‘super PAC’ is pouring over $600,000 into commercials in the Los Angeles market, which reaches 27 congressional districts, to try to drive down Republican candidate Scott Baugh’s share of the vote against Mr. Rohrabacher, in hopes that a Democrat can finish in the top two and face the incumbent in November.”
Democratic leadership has come out over the past few months to warn members of the party to back off impeachment rhetoric, which is being pushed by left-wing Californian billionaire Tom Steyer.
Breitbart News reported in April:
Democrats like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) believe impeachment talk from Steyer and his PAC is more of a distraction than anything else. Meanwhile, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was one of the first Democrats to propose impeachment. In February, she said, “I say it is time to get ready for impeachment … I cannot wait and I’m counting on special counsel Mueller to connect the dots. … Democrats, I don’t care what the Republicans say. I say impeach 45!”
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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