CNN host presses Democratic senator on party's plan to paint GOP as 'extremists' as liberal groups boost Trump-backed candidates
CNN host Jim Sciutto pressed Sen. Alex Padilla on Wednesday about the Democratic Party's plan to paint the GOP as "extremists" as liberal groups continue to boost Trump-backed candidates in Republican primaries.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-CA., dodged two questions on Wednesday about Democrats planning to paint Republicans as "extremists" ahead of the midterms while liberal groups have been meddling in GOP primaries in an effort to boost candidates they deem to be unelectable.
"CNN Newsroom" host Jim Sciutto pressed Padilla about the Democratic Party strategy of throwing money at GOP, Trump-backed candidates they believe will be easier for a Democrat to beat in the general election.
"It’s CNN's reporting that some Democrats are planning as part of a push to limit their losses in the midterms to paint Republicans as extremists. I wonder because at the same time you have Democratic groups backing some of those same extremist Republican candidates. Election deniers, for instance, in a state like Maryland. Does that work for you? Is that not fundamentally contradictory?" Sciutto asked.
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson meets with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
POLITICAL STRATEGISTS WARN ABOUT MEDDLING IN OTHER PARTY'S PRIMARIES
"The bottom line is making a clear contrast for voters to decide this November who to vote for," Padilla said, adding that they know what the nation needs.
"How do we bring down the costs of prescription drugs? How do we bring down the cost of childcare? How do we bring down the cost of the various areas where we’re facing inflation. Democrats have plans that have been stifled because of Republican opposition in Congress. So let’s make that abundantly clear for voters. You want to restore a woman’s right to choose, vote for Democrats. You want to tackle climate aggressively, vote for Democrats. It’s creating that contrast that I think is going to continue to bolster our chances in November," he continued.
Sciutto pressed further, acknowledging that he understands Padilla's point but added that part of the Democratic case is that "some of these Republican candidates and Trump himself are a threat to democracy." He asked, "How can Democrats say that and then back some of those election deniers in some of their own races?"
The Democratic Governors Association has backed candidates such as Maryland's GOP gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox and Pennsylvania's Republican candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano.
Sen. Alex Padilla appears to dodge questions on Democrat meddling in GOP primaries. (Screenshot/CNN/CNNNewsroom)
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He appeared to dodge the question again and said that it would be up for the voters to decide.
Sciutto also asked about a letter signed by Padilla, as well as several other Democratic lawmakers, which called on President Biden to declare a climate emergency.
Padilla said many Republicans in the Senate continue to "disregard the science" with regard to climate change and that they have left Democrats no choice but to turn to Biden because "time is of the essence."
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 24: People use voting machines to fill out their ballots as they vote in the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen slammed Democrats meddling in Republican primaries on Wednesday, arguing that it has reached a "new level of absurd."
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