Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar agree with Democrats boosting Republicans in purple state primaries
"The View" hosts discussed Democrats boosting Republicans in primary elections on Wednesday and Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin seemed to agree with their strategy.
"The View" hosts Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar said during Monday's episode that they agree with the Democratic Party strategy of donating to and backing Republican candidates in primary contests who they believe will give Democratic candidates in "purple states" a better chance of victory in the general election.
"Some people are saying, this is really risky. Some people are saying, you know, this is a great idea. I pose the question to you," host Whoopi Goldberg asked, specifically mentioning the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), who threw support behind Dan Cox, the newly elected Republican gubernatorial nominee in Maryland and a supporter of former president Donald Trump's repeated claims that he won the 2020 election.
"When you talk about people, describe people who denied the election as existential crises in this country, and the same people, you’re going to put the Democratic Governor Association put a million dollars towards Dan Cox when he put $21,000 towards himself. The chance to play with fire, you’re going to take in order to get burned?" guest host Lindsey Granger said.
The DGA spent over $1 million on ads that boosted Cox, who won the primary on Tuesday. Strategists have warned that this may backfire on Democrats.
"The View" hosts discuss Democrats backing and boosting Republican candidates they deem to be unelectable. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
DEMOCRATS ‘MEDDLING’ IN GOP PRIMARIES HOPING TO NOMINATE UNELECTABLE REPUBLICANS
Behar said that she didn't agree and argued that with regard to "purple states," it might be worth it to point to these Republican candidates and say "this is the crazy that Trump likes." She noted that she was at a dinner with moderate Republicans who shared that they disliked Trump.
"I will gamble that those moderate Republicans will either stay home or vote for a Democrat. I'm a gambler," she said.
Fellow co-host Sara Haines disagreed with Behar and said, "Cox himself denies the election results, says, vice president – former Vice President Pence is a traitor."
"We can discuss policy and ideology, but when we don’t have a democracy, which is the confines of where we’re having these discussions. We’re in trouble. We’re in trouble. So I think the point here is that you can’t play with this type of fire. You’re talking about people that are now being put into positions where they oversee the very elections that we were saying were fair and proved fair, but now may not be," Haines said.
MEDDLING BY DEMOCRATS MAKES A MARK IN GOP GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY IN ILLINOIS, FALLS FLAT IN COLORADO
Sunny Hostin discusses Democrats boosting unelectable Republicans in primary elections on "The View." (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
Hostin seemed to agree with Behar and said that Republicans do this as well.
"I think, Joy, you’re right, because the point is a more moderate candidate is more likely to be successful in a purple state," Hostin said. "Against a Democrat."
Hostin said that "voter suppression" was running "rampant."
"So we always say here, one person, one vote. Unfortunately, if you can get to the voting box, and they’re counting on that," she said. "I think in this sense, this strategy actually can be quite successful."
A "Vote Here" sign outside the polling place setup in the 3rd and Court Fire Station in Reading, Pennsylvania, Tuesday morning May 18, 2021. ( Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
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Gov. Larry Hogan, R-MD., called out the DGA for boosting Cox in the primary.
In some states, the GOP candidates boosted by Democrats have won and in others they have lost. For example, in Illinois, Conservative state Sen. Darren Bailey, backed by Democrats, was victorious over moderate Republican Mayor Richard Irvin.
However, in Colorado, Democrats struck out after backing Ron Hanks, a military veteran, who lost against Joe O’Dea in the GOP Senate primary.