WHY ARE DEMOCRATS BACKING TRUMPISTS?

• Author: Lancaster, Joe
• Position: 2022 United States congressional election

ON AUGUST 2, freshman Rep. Peter Meijer lost the Republican primary for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District to John Gibbs, a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump. Gibbs' victory over Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump, highlights the strange role Democrats are now playing in the GOP's internecine battles.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) funded an ad labeling Gibbs "handpicked by Trump" and "too conservative for west Michigan." While ostensibly an attack, the ad also served to entice Republican primary voters. The DCCC paid $435,000 for the 30-second ad-nearly $100,000 more than Gibbs raised in total contributions. Gibbs beat Meijer by more than 3,000 votes.

For a decade, Meijer's district was represented by Rep. Justin Amash, the Republican-turned-Libertarian who quit the GOP while criticizing Trump and Trumpism. Meijer won the seat in 2020 after Amash chose not to seek reelection, and his single term was characterized by an independent streak reminiscent of his predecessor. Most notably, Meijer was one of only 10 Republicans (and the only freshman) to vote for Trump's impeachment after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Despite Meijer's principled opposition to Trumpism, the DCCC saw Gibbs, a far-right conspiracy theorist who believes the 2020 presidential election was stolen, as preferable because he will be easier to beat in the November general election. Based on similar logic, Democrats have backed Trumpists over centrists in several GOP primaries.

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