House Democrats' campaign arm doesn't rule out meddling in the party's primaries

The chair of House Democrats' campaign arm on Wednesday didn't rule out putting her finger on the scale in key battleground district primaries next year.Why it matters: Such primary meddling has been the source of public tension in past election cycles, but Democratic leaders maintain their right to try to elevate their preferred candidates.The dynamic could exacerbate an already simmering conflict between the Democratic establishment and the party's angry grassroots base, which is increasingly embracing outsider progressives in primaries.Democratic leaders tend to view more moderate candidates with backgrounds in electoral politics or national security as the gold standard in swing districts.What they're saying: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), asked by Axios at a Wednesday press conference about possible primary involvement, said her "policy is the same policy we've had since I've been chair.""We have, in a small number of cases, gotten involved," DelBene said, noting that the DCCC endorsed now-Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) over a more liberal primary opponent last cycle.But in "most of these cases," she added, "the voters are going to have the decision on who the primary candidate is going to be."Zoom in: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), at the same press conference, made clear that the DCCC won't be dipping its toes into primaries in solidly Democratic districts."The DCCC focuses on swing seats, defending our frontline incumbents ... and flipping red seats blue," he said. "The DCCC has never gotten involved in primary dynamics that involve safe Democratic seats, and that policy has not changed."Yes, but: On Tuesday, Jeffries sidestepped a question about whether he will spend money from his own campaign coffers to help the more than half a dozen older House Democrats in safe districts who have been out-raised by younger primary rivals."We're in the middle of a 35-day government shutdown," he told Axios. "There will be more than enough time to talk about the primary season next year."

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