Picture spending nearly $4.5 million of other people's money trying to pick winners in three separate primary races and losing every single one. That is exactly what the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just accomplished, and as USA Journal reported, House Democrats are absolutely livid about it.
The freshest embarrassment dropped Tuesday in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, where former state Rep. Amish Shah crushed DCCC favorite Marlene Galán-Woods by a margin of 39.8% to 34.1%. The committee had rolled out its Red to Blue endorsement for Galán-Woods, chipped in on a $514,000 joint advertising purchase with her campaign, and sat back while allied outside groups dumped over $1.5 million attacking Shah plus nearly another million propping up their chosen candidate. Shah won anyway, because voters are apparently not interested in being told what to do.
Then Shah, absolute legend that he is, publicly cracked wise about hoping the DCCC endorses him over Republican Jay Feely in the general election. That joke lands like a sledgehammer when you consider the committee now has to crawl back to its furious dues paying members and beg for cash to support the very guy they tried to politically bury. And he has to win against a Trump endorsed former NFL kicker in a district that went for Trump by three points in 2024. Good luck with that awkward fundraising call.
But Arizona was not even the first face plant. Over in California's 22nd District, DCCC pick Jasmeet Bains got beaten by progressive activist Randy Villegas. Up in Maine's 2nd District, their endorsed candidate Joe Baldacci fell to Matt Dunlap. Three races, three picks, three losses. A perfect record of failure.
Naturally, the members who ponied up dues money to fund this strategic masterclass are not thrilled. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois, who personally contributed $100,000 in committee dues, basically asked everyone to imagine what $800,000 could have done in a general election instead. She recommended the committee just stay out of primaries entirely. AOC, another major dues contributor, called on the organization to save its resources for November and demanded a conversation about why they keep meddling in primaries at all.
Behind closed doors, one senior House Democrat reportedly summed things up with three beautiful words: "People are mad." Another fully dues paid member delivered what might be the quote of the cycle: "The DCCC is not God. They cannot dictate outcomes."
So here is where things stand heading into November. The committee is broke, its membership is divided, and it now has to enthusiastically support candidates it actively tried to destroy. Amish Shah faces Jay Feely in a tough district with absolutely zero institutional goodwill behind him and a whole lot of receipts showing what the committee spent trying to stop him.
The NRCC called it the DCCC's "latest humiliation," which honestly feels generous. When your opponents can just accurately describe what happened and it sounds like an insult, you might want to rethink the whole strategy.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
