Outsider Candidates Blast DCCC for Rigging 2026 Primaries, ‘Narrowing Democracy’ – RedState
You must love it. The party that constantly insists on “defending democracy” is accused of “restricting democracy” during its own primaries. By their own candidates.
A group of 17 out-of-state Democratic congressional candidates launched a public revolt against their own party’s campaign arm this week, issuing a joint statement accusing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) of undermining the 2026 primary process.
You mean the party that unceremoniously dumped Joe Biden once his mental state was exposed and installed Kamala Harris without even a single primary vote. isn’t it a big proponent of letting voters decide? The party that rigged Bernie Sanders’ primary against Hillary Clinton in 2016 doesn’t have confidence in voters to choose a winning candidate?
Are you as stunned as I am?
Earlier this week, the DCCC supported a dozen fundraising pioneers in contested House races, such as VA-01, WI-03 and NC-11, through its “Red to Blue” program.
HUGE NEWS! Meet the Democrats who will help us flip the House.
The path to coming of age passes through these races. From red to blue, it starts now! pic.twitter.com/XoxqES2n9c
–DCCC (@dccc) February 23, 2026
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The opponents of these favorites were furious and made it very clear in their statement.
“Such early institutional support also exerts significant influence on the primary process – often determining fundraising pipelines, access and perceived viability before voters have had the opportunity to evaluate the entire field,” the candidate coalition writes.
“We’re six months away from a primary…it’s absolutely maddening,” Jason Knapp, a candidate in the aforementioned VA-01 race, told Axios.
From there, things get a lot juicier, with the group accusing the DCCC of completely subverting the democratic primary process.
“Primaries are not an inconvenience, they are the foundation of democratic legitimacy,” they say. “Voters deserve the opportunity to compare their ideas, hear an open debate and decide for themselves who will represent them rather than being told who to vote for. »
The other Democrats introduce themselves #NC11 are not satisfied with the @dccc put Jamie Ager on his “Red to Blue” program.
A number of candidates released a statement saying: “You cannot pretend that democracy is on the agenda in November while reducing democracy in November.”
the primaries.” #ncpol https://t.co/KTPrZmb1YC pic.twitter.com/8MLAKzUrKf– Ruben Jones (@ReubenJones1) February 26, 2026
DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) defended this early support as a strategic move to support strong general election candidates who can win back the majority in the House.
“They are all strong candidates, they are the ones who will be running in the general election and they are the ones who we believe can win the general election,” she said.
Understood ? What matters is the prospect of winning, not what their own voters want. We all know they don’t care who the general election voters want, but to spit it out on their own? It’s something.
Perhaps the most damning comment in the coalition’s statement is the candidates’ clear-cut accusation that the DCCC has undermined their own message about defending democracy.
“You cannot pretend that democracy is on the agenda in November while reducing it to primaries by August,” they write.
“Voters must freely choose these candidates. Open primaries, transparent processes, and vigorous debate are not obstacles to victory – they are the path.”
To Democrats, Voters are the obstacle.
Editor’s note: The 2026 midterm elections will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both houses of Congress.
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