Yesterday, Democrats across the South nominated some interesting candidates for competitive seats. They tended to go with outsiders over established pols. Vox ran a very misleadingly titled article suggesting that the "Democratic establishment" was hammering a female Marine fighter pilot, Amy McGrath. The DCCC may or may not have urged Lexington Mayor Jim Gray into the race, but there is no evidence that Washington did anything to tilt the scales of that primary. It is true that established politicians attacked McGrath for being an inexperienced outsider who hadn't lived much in Kentucky. She responded that she was deployed. In other words, politics occured, and McGrath, who IS a political novice, had to sharpen her skills to respond.
The only case we have of the DCCC really putting their thumbs on the scale was in TX-7, where, ironically, a long time DC insider, Laura Moser, was running against the DC establishment's pick, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher. Moser had some derogatory things to say about Texas (not Houston where she is running), and the DCCC released that information to sink her candidacy before she won the nomination and the GOP released it. As it is, Moser got whupped in the run-off last night, 67%-33%. The more centrist candidate won by hefty margins. Meanwhile, Texas Dems nominated a Lesbian Latina for Governor, so it's not like the DNC is running around forcing a bunch of milquetoast moderates on every race. Stacey Abrams historic win in Georgia is another example of this dynamic.
Some of these races are going to be very, very tough come November. The Democratic electorate has established a clear preference for female candidates with compelling stories. Given the path to victory likely lies with suburban, moderate Republican-leaning women, this seems like a good idea.
The worry, of course, is that there is a certain wing of the Democratic Party <cough Sandernistas cough> that sees nefarious plots to derail their "revolution" by doing things like holding elections. The defections of Sanders diehards could very well have tipped 2016 in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. My guess is that it won't matter that much in November, because anti-Trump sentiment is so high.
Worth keeping an eye on, though.
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