Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) may not be conservatives’ favorite Republican at the moment due to his decision to serve on the House Jan. 6 committee.
But he is pretty spot on about the Democrats’ hypocrisy of trying to boost “election deniers” in Republican primaries because they think those candidates will be easier to beat in general elections.
Kinzinger was asked by CNN’s Brianna Keilar what he thinks about the decision to spend money on “election deniers” to hopefully lead to an “easier matchup in the general election.”
“I think it’s disgusting because look, yeah, you think you may have an easier time at winning,” he responded.
He went on, “I’m going to tell you, after January, there are going to be a few of these people…You’re going to have election deniers win. So while I think a certain number of Democrats truly understand that democracy is threatened, don’t come to me after having spent money supporting an election denier in a primary, and then come to me and say, ‘where are all the good Republicans?’ when we’re sitting here playing DNC politics, let’s promote the crazy, and then that person wins, you don’t understand the real threat.”
“I’m sorry, you don’t understand the threat to democracy,” he added.
Watch the video below:
.@AdamKinzinger on Dem grps backing GOP election deniers in hopes of easier general election races:
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) July 26, 2022
"I think it's disgusting.. don't come to me after having spent money supporting an election denier in a primary, and then come to me and say 'where are all the good Republicans?'" pic.twitter.com/SseetxLrO8
Over the last year and a half, Democrats have claimed that Republicans pose a threat to American democracy.
But The Washington Post reported earlier this year that several Democratic groups have spent millions on ads to boost Republican candidates who have cast doubts on the 2020 presidential election because they believe they will be easier to beat in November.
In just one example, the paper noted that Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro spent $1.2 million on TV ads as the state’s primary neared that highlighted Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano’s conservative positions and argued, “If Mastriano wins, it’s a win for what Donald Trump stands for.”
According to the Post, “That’s more than the roughly $800,000 that Mastriano spent in all of 2022 on his primary campaign.”
For his part, Shapiro denies that he was trying to boost Mastriano. However, the paper points out that “the TV ads echoed Mastriano’s messaging in the primary.”
It’s hypocritical for Democrats to wail about threats to democracy while they have groups trying to boost wacky candidates who cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election for their political gain.
And it’s even more hypocritical when this is happening ahead of a midterm election when the party in power usually gets beaten at the polls.
It’s not as though Republicans are expected to suffer electoral disaster in November. Rather, as President Joe Biden’s poll numbers continue to slide, it’s likely that there will be weird elections where underdog Republicans win races no one really thought were competitive.
Yes, Republicans actually have to vote for the candidates in the primaries. But you can’t be boosting crazy people and intentionally trying to hurt candidates who you consider normal politicians and then ask why Republicans are so crazy.