Judy: Primary season officially
comes to a close tomorrow so
Republicans and Democrats are
turning their midterm messaging
towards the general election.
It is less than two months away.
Here to talk about what is next
is Amy Walter of the cook
political report with Amy Walter
and Tamera Keith of NPR.
It is time for politics Monday.
You just listened to Laura's
report.
A really interesting report
about what is going on this
season.
Is this working?
Reporter: We have been watching
this dynamic develop through
numerous primaries as this year
has gone along.
Democrats are getting the
opponents they want largely.
But be careful what you wish
for.
There were a lot of Hillary
Clinton supporters that wanted
Donald Trump as an opponent and
they got him as a president.
What is truly striking is that
this is happening at a time when
Democrats, most notably
president Biden, are shouting
from the rooftops about the risk
these candidates posed to
American democracy.
The idea that people will deny
election outcomes that is a
danger to America at the same
time that some democratic
outside groups are boosting
these candidates.
The argument they would make is
we are defining our opponents
and they were going to win
anyway and it is possible they
would win the primaries anyway.
Judy: Possible but there is an
award and a risk.
Reporter: The risk is one of
being seen as incredibly
hypocritical and cynical which
is promoting people who are
doing the very thing you say is
the greatest risk to our society
right now and the practical is
that yes, these candidates and
up winning.
Campaigns are graded not on
those metrics but on whether you
win or and when it comes down to
it, the job of the campaign
consultant or manager is to win
the campaign in any way
possible.
When you know the margins in
these races are 1000 votes,
15,000 votes win control of the
senate is literally one C, they
will look for every opportunity
they can't but it is hard to
take the moral high ground on
issues like campaign integrity
while and the vice president was
asked about this this weekend,
asked by chuck Todd on meet the
press, what do you think about
this, about Democrats going and
promoting these very candidates
and she had a chance to step on
the moral high ground and she
did not take it saying everyone
has to run their own campaign.
Judy: For some of these
candidates come even if they do
not win and succeed at getting
them chosen, they could live to
run for other races and will
have longer political lives.
Reporter: Running a statewide or
a congressional district race
raises your profile.
Your ideas are out there on TV.
They are out there in debates.
Your ideas are being written
about.
And sometimes these campaigns
create celebrities.
That said we have not heard a
lot from Todd akin or Murdoch in
Indiana.
Some of these candidates quietly
disappear.
But that was a different time.
It is not clear that people will
quietly disappear or admit they
lost if they lose.
Judy: This is getting closer to
the general election and
tomorrow is the last primary
day.
What are you seeing from the
parties in terms of their
candidates' messaging?
Reporter: I am watching new
Hampshire.
Very early on Republicans
thought this state would be one
of their best pickup
opportunities.
They have a popular Republican
governor in Chris sununu.
He decided not to run.
He said it was because he did
not want to come to Washington
but his relationship with Donald
Trump was tenuous and he
probably did not want to deal
with that sort of relationship.
Republicans still think they
have a great chance there but a
possibility of a weaker
candidate.
A candidate who sununu at one
point said was a conspiracy
theorist could end up winning
and that would be problematic.
They could still win but a much
more challenging candidate for
Republicans than the other one.
I get ads in my inbox and I'm
sure you do also every day and I
went through a bunch of them
before I came on air and it is
not that surprising but
Republicans continue to lean
into the economy, inflation, and
Biden.
'S are getting better in the
economy.
Vast prices have gone down and
the pinch of inflation consumers
essay as not as strong as it was
earlier but it is still a big
deal.
Democrats really leaning into
the issue of abortion especially
in the swing states.
Judy: What are you seeing in
this messaging and are you
seeing any shift?
Reporter: What you definitely
see is that Democrats are not
afraid to talk about the
abortion issue.
In past cycles, Democrats have
been afraid of leaning into
cultural war issues.
In this case, Democrats are
trying to create a narrative
that it is not just the abortion
rights but other rights you care
about and also that the people
who support those ideas are
extreme.
At is the message they are going
with.
That gets to the idea that they
want this to be a choice.
They do not wanted to be a
referendum on Joe Biden or crime
or immigration they want it to
be dashed America, do you really
want to go back two years ago,
do you really want these extreme
ideas to be mainstream?
Judy: You are not seeing a shift
is what I hear you saying.
The economy --
reporter: We are going to see in
individual races talk about
immigration including in Arizona
and New Mexico.
Crime will also be an issue.
What is interesting is watching
Republicans on abortion.
It reminds me of where Democrats
were on the issue of defunding
the police are reducing funding
for the police.
Republicans put Democrats in an
awkward spot where they wanted
to stand with racial justice
supporters in their own party.
At the same time they wanted to
talk to swing voters and assure
them they would be tough on
crime.
They did not do that well in
2020.
What you have seen since then is
Democrats proactively talking
about their support from law
enforcement.
Republicans have gotten caught
on abortion in the same place.
They have not figured out how to
keep their base happy saying my
pro-life positions are still my
pro-life positions but also talk
to moderate swing voters saying
I am not the extremist my
opponent says I am.
Judy: But they are.
We see Republican candidates
adjust their language.
Reporter: Or scrub their
websites or not make it part of
their stump speech or not talk
about it much.
You would think, here is this
huge victory, something they
have been fighting for for a
long time.
But now, they don't want to talk
about it because it has become
uncomfortable.
The reality is that the polling
indicates that the American
people, the majority of
Americans do support some
abortion access, some abortion
rights.
You get into the nitty-gritty
and it gets more complicated but
in a lot of these states it is
no access at all which sharpens
the contrast.
Judy: And two months to go and
we will see what may shift or
move between now and November.
Camur Keith and Amy Walter,
thank you to both.
Politics Monday.