ABC's Jonathan Karl, USA Today's Susan Page slam Democrats meddling in GOP primaries
An ABC panel criticized Democrats meddling in Republican primaries on Sunday during "This Week," saying the action was "hypocritical" and "risky."
FIRST ON FOX: A New York Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives torched the "D.C. Democratic establishment" over their "out of touch" talking points.
Josh Riley, an attorney and former Capitol Hill staffer running for New York’s 19th District, criticized the "talking points" coming out of the Democratic Party leadership in Washington as "wildly out of touch," noting he "would lose all credibility" if he repeated them to voters.
"Yeah, I got to be honest, folks. A lot of it is really bad right now. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that, but it’s… The D.C. Democratic establishment is doing no favors," Riley said.
"The talking points that come out of Washington from the Democratic Party are so wildly out of touch with the conversations we’re all having with each other across this community," the New York Democrat continued in the video exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.
DEMOCRATS MEDDLING IN GOP PRIMARIES REACHING ‘NEW LEVEL OF ABSURD’: WASHINGTON POST COLUMN
DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., has been criticized by his party for meddling in GOP primary elections. (Fox News/Tyler Olson)
"You get talking points from the Democratic establishment in Washington to go tell people that the economy is great. ‘Go tell people that jobs are booming and Joe Biden is the best jobs president ever’ is what they tell you to say," Riley said.
Riley said "the reality is" that if he "were to show up and say" said talking points in the conversations he’s had with "folks around the kitchen table," he "would lose all credibility."
"They would think I was crazy," Riley added, as the midterm elections approach.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, is pushing a narrative that does not appear to line up with reality, according to the candidate.
Inflation hit 9.1% last month and the most recent economic numbers officially showed a second consecutive contraction, officially putting the U.S. into a recession – to the chagrin of a White House attempting to change the definition of what a recession is.
Maloney, of New York, has pushed Democratic claims that the economy is actually doing well in the face of rising inflation numbers and a recession.
Even in the face of these numbers, Maloney – whose leadership has been questioned in his party amid his potential member versus member re-election battle against a freshman lawmaker – bragged about giving his talking points to the party "frontliners."
"The frontliners who are left, the members of Congress right now I’m defending, they are battle-tested, they are doing their work, they’re getting their votes right, and they’re bringing home a historic infrastructure bill, a rescue plan that saved the American economy and millions of small businesses, community projects which are funding important local priorities, and their own legislation that has been prioritized in our majority," Maloney said in an interview last month.
"So they’ve got a lot to talk about, and they’re outperforming the president, in most cases, by double digits," he added.
Maloney was also criticized by several of his fellow House Democrats for meddling in Republican primary races instead of investing in the races of incumbents who are facing some of their toughest elections.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., called Democrat meddling in GOP primaries "a terrible idea." (CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
Vulnerable Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan called Maloney’s meddling in GOP primaries "strange decision-making" and said she "let them know that."
Slotkin’s fellow vulnerable Democrat Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey called Maloney’s decision-making "wrong" and Florida Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy said no "race is worth compromising your values in that way."
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., decried Maloney’s meddling as "a terrible idea."
"It’s very dangerous, I think, in this environment to be propping up candidates like that," Crow said.
"Of course, it could backfire. And that’s part of the reason why I don’t think it’s a good idea," Crow continued. "Not only do I think it sends the wrong message, but it’s substantively risky."
"It’s dishonorable, and it’s dangerous, and it’s just damn wrong," Rep. Dean Phillip, D-Minn., told Politico. The congressman added the party is speeding up the departures of the "truly honorable and courageous Republicans" like Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who lost his primary election last night.
Meijer was defeated by challenger John Gibbs, a Housing and Urban Development official in the Trump administration who was endorsed by former President Trump.
The DCCC spent $425,000 on an ad boosting Gibbs in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area. The Democratic Governors Association has spent millions boosting Republican candidates like Dan Cox, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Maryland.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., criticized Maloney for meddling in Republican primary elections. (Getty Images)
The congressman called the DCCC spending on Gibbs "political jiu-jitsu" and said the Democrats were "subsidizing" his opponent’s campaign.
"The DCCC’s ad buy was more than Gibbs raised over the entire duration of his campaign," Meijer wrote in a "Common Sense" substack piece. "In other words, the Democrats are not merely attempting to boost a candidate over the finish line: They are subsidizing his entire campaign."
Maloney was also hit by the Democrat progressives over the lack of spending behind their candidates, such as in the razor-thin primary between incumbent Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar and his progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros.
Riley’s comments may resonate with the voters in the Democratic toss-up district as the more moderate voter base endures sky-high inflation and gas prices.
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However, with the district being a battleground in a year projected to favor Republicans, honeyed words may not be enough to get Riley across the finish line.
The Democratic National Committee and DCCC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed reporting.
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