Kinzinger on Meijer defeat: ‘Democrats own that’

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) blamed Democrats on CNN’s “New Day” Wednesday after moderate GOP Rep. Peter Meijer (Mich.) was defeated in his primary election by a Trump-endorsed candidate. 

Meijer, who voted to impeach former President Trump after the 2021 Capitol attack, lost to Trump-backed challenger John Gibbs on Tuesday, after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads supporting Gibbs. 

Meijer’s race was among a number of primaries in which the Democratic campaign arms spent money on Trump-backed candidates, a strategy seemingly aiming to make it easier for Democrats to win general elections.

“I mean, the DCCC needs to be ashamed of themselves,” Kinzinger said. 

“If Peter’s opponent wins and goes on in November to win, the Democrats own that. Congratulations,” he continued. “Here’s the thing, don’t keep coming to me asking where are all the good Republicans that defend democracy and then take your donors’ money to spend half a million dollars promoting one of the worst election deniers that’s out there.”

Although some Democrats have spoken out against the DCCC’s strategy, top Democratic officials such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have come out in favor of the tactic. 

“The political decisions that are made out there are made in furtherance of our winning the election,” Pelosi said last week, “because we think the contrast between Democrats and Republicans — as they are now — is so drastic that we have to win.”

Meijer’s defeat is another win for Trump, who has made a midterm priority out of getting Republicans out of office who publicly opposed him following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 

Meijer said Democrats disregarded “certain moral limits” in politics when backing his opponent. 

“If successful, Republican voters will be blamed if any of these candidates are ultimately elected, but there is no doubt Democrats’ fingerprints will be on the weapon,” Meijer said in an essay posted online Monday.