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On April 11, Democratic congressional candidate James Thompson came close to defeatingRepublican candidate State Treasurer John Estes in a special election in Kansas, with just over a6 percent marginin a district that President DonaldTrumpwon by 27 points. However, the bigger story is how Thompson ran a formidable campaign without support from theDemocratic National Committee(DNC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). This lack of support likely stemmed from the DCCCs strategy to abandon rural America and their disdain for candidates who embrace Sen. Bernie Sanders progressive agenda.

New DNC ChairTom Perezsaidduring his own campaign,A 50-state strategy is the only way forward. That starts with rural outreach and organizers in every zip code.However, he already broke this promise withthe first congressional election Democrats ran under his leadership. Perez made the excuse to the Washington Post, There are thousands of elections every year. Can we invest in all of them? That would require a major increase in funds. His response fails to acknowledge that the Democratic Party has a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee devoted solely to funding and supporting candidates for the House of Representatives, of which there are not thousands of elections for every year. Perez and theDemocratic Partyalso didnt capitalize on Thompsons surge in the race by fundraising on his behalf.

In contrast, Republicanssensing the race could be closedevotedsubstantial resources to Estes campaign. Sen. Ted Cruz and Vice President Mike Pence made appearances on his behalf, and Republicans added $100,000 in funds at the last minute to his campaign.

TheDemocraticestablishment tried to appropriate Thompsons success in the district as a testament that anti-Trumpsentiments will translate to big wins forDemocratsin the 2018 midterm elections. However, when pressed on why they failed to support Thompson, they dismissed criticisms for ignoring the race. The Huffington Postreported, A DCCC official who spoke with The Huffington Poston Monday, however, argued that the partys involvement would have been extremely damaging to Thompson because it would have been used against him by Republicans, who have poured significant money into the race. Thompson has performed better than expected in the race because he stayed under the radar, the official added. This claim makes little sense, especially given that Thompsons Republican opponentportrayed himas an establishmentDemocratanyways.

Rather than this special election representing an anomaly or misstep from theDemocraticleadership, theres aprevailing trendwithin the partys establishment to select and support weak, centrist candidates who provide the party with opportunities to fundraise from corporatedonors. This trend is symptomatic of a revolving door within theDemocratic Partyleadership, where party officials often sell out to work for Republican lobbying firms.The InterceptsLee Fangpointedout Mark Squier, John Donovan, and CR Wooters as just a few examples.

Currently, in a special congressional election in Georgia to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, theDemocraticestablishment is puttingvast resources behind establishment Democrat Jon Ossoff. Theformer legislative assistantand filmmaker has strongtiesto Rwandan dictator andClinton FoundationallyPaul Kagame. In addition to the partys funds, Ossoffs pro-business centristplatformhas afforded his campaign several million dollars.Democratsare hoping that their support of Ossoff will translate into a victory, which will elevate the narrative that that centristDemocraticcandidates perform better than progressives, who the party continues to ignore despite their growing popularity.

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The DNC and DCCC Confirm They Won't Support Progressive Candidates - Observer