As they usually are in today's day and age, the Democrat party is once again under fire. But this time, it is not from Republicans or anyone they would claim to be an opponent. There is anger brewing within the party, specifically among a group of Democrat Congressional candidates. This is not new, infighting has been taking place for the Democrats for awhile, but these new allegations bring up some old wounds.
A group of 17 outsider Democrat candidates, essentially people not in the Dems favorable inner circle, have all issued a joint statement against their own party. In short, they accused the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) of undermining the 2026 primary process and essentially 'rigging' the vote.
Rusty Weiss of the Red State says the group says they did this by giving early endorsements to candidates, way before it was time to even begin their races.
"They feel the move hands those candidates' unfair advantages...money, access and momentum long before voters can even decide," he says.
Now the DCCC has defended this move, of course, with their Chair Congresswoman Suzan DelBene saying it was a strategic move to back strong general-election contenders who could help them claim a majority.
But for a party that screams about protecting democracy, this seems to almost diminish it. People should get to decide if they want a candidate, not have one of them be incessantly pushed on them by the party.
"You cannot run and beat the drum on saving democracy, while provably narrowing democracy in your own primaries," says Weiss.
This is familiar territory too. This is not the first time this kind of allegation has happened. It has shades of 2016 all over again.
"Bernie Sanders repeatedly hinted that his 2016 against Hilary Clinton was rigged...not to mention, what we all saw in 2024, when they ditched Joe Biden and installed Kamala Harris," Weiss says.
As for who is calling the shots on this, as it usually is, it is the big pocket donors.
"Every single candidate the DCCC is pushing happens to be the leading fundraiser in their primary race," says Weiss. "But by giving an early endorsement, it ensures a lot of these funds will go to their handpicked candidates."
All of it is a narrowing of democracy, instead of protecting it. Once again too, it is just the latest example of Democrats lack of respect for what American voters actually think or want.
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