United States: the risky bet of Democrats supporting Trumpists in the Republican primaries

Doug Mastriano, dubbed by Donald Trump, enjoyed the support of the Democrats during the Republican primary in Pennsylvania.

Here in May 2022. © AP - Carolyn Kaster

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Since the start of the Republican primaries in the United States, the left has supported far-right candidates.

In Maryland, Democratic groups financed advertisements to help the most Trumpist candidates win the Republican primaries, which were held on Tuesday July 19.

Democrats consider these candidates easier to beat in the general election: a risky bet for some.

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With our correspondent in Miami,

It is a surprising phenomenon:

and the Democrats often hope for the nomination of the same Republican candidates in the next elections.

In Pennsylvania, for example,

the campaign of the Democratic candidate for governor spent more than a million dollars on advertising to promote his very right rival: Doug Mastriano, dubbed by Donald Trump.

The candidate had chartered buses to transport protesters to Washington on January 6

and still refuses to recognize the victory of Joe Biden.

A winning Trumpist in Pennsylvania?

From California to Colorado, from Illinois to Arizona via Maryland, the Democrats are interfering in all the Republican primaries to win the most extreme Trumpist candidates with millions of dollars.

They simply deem them ineligible for the general election and therefore easier to defeat in November.

But with three out of four Republicans still believing the rigged election myth and Joe Biden's approval ratings at rock bottom, this risky strategy could well backfire on Democrats, many analysts are warning.

Polls also indicate that in November in Pennsylvania, the Trumpist candidate has a chance of winning. 

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• United States

• donald trump

• Joe Biden