Tea Party group ‘endorses’ Wasserman Schultz

The Tea Party Express on Wednesday taunted Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) by “endorsing” her reelection bid.

“While both Wasserman Schultz and [Tim] Canova share extreme liberal views that are damaging to American prosperity, the scales tip for us to endorse Wasserman Schultz because conservatives and the Tea Party have thrived during her tenure as [Democratic National Committee] DNC Chairwoman,” Executive Director Taylor Budowich said in a statement.

{monads}“By continuing to press for a far-left agenda, Americans have rallied to Tea Party supported candidates across the country,” he added.

The Florida Democrat faces a primary challenge from Canova, a law professor who thinks an anti-incumbent wave could help him win. Wasserman Schultz has come under fire as the head of the DNC, and The Hill reported Tuesday that Democrats are fiercely debating her handling of their presidential primary.

“Her blatant partiality towards [Democratic presidential front-runner] Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders has led to an acrimonious Democratic Party contest, and a likely contentious Democratic Convention. Why give up a good thing by having Wasserman Schultz defeated now?” asked the Tea Party Express, picking up on that theme.

A super-PAC founded by GOP strategist Karl Rove also offered backhanded support for Wasserman Schultz’s bid on Tuesday.

“Congresswoman and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has played a critical role over the past several years in the massive Republican gains we have achieved at the state level, in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate,” American Crossroads President and CEO Steven Law said in a statement.

Sanders, Clinton’s Democratic presidential rival, endorsed Canova last weekend, arguing he is the best choice for Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.

“Well, clearly, I favor her opponent,” the Vermont senator said on CNN. “His views are much closer to mine than as to Wasserman Schultz’s.”

Critics of Wasserman Schultz claim she is too divisive to unite the party as chairwoman before November and argue she should leave her DNC post, having alienated Sanders and his fervent supporters.

Clinton remains the Democratic front-runner nationwide, boasting 1,768 delegates to Sanders’s 1,497, not including superdelegates. At least 2,382 delegates are necessary for avoiding a contested convention.