This year, 2022, was the year of Democrats crossing over to sabotage Republican primaries. In Arizona the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee poured in money to a Republican congressional race to support the Republican candidate who Democrats thought they had a better chance to beat in the general election.[i] Democrats spent millions of dollars in other states to influence who won in Republican primaries, as well. Fox News reported Democrats spent more than $40 million in six Republican primaries for congressional seats and the strategy paid off as the Democrats got the opponents they wanted in the general election.[ii]
But Democrat money was not the only way Democrats meddled in Republican primaries. Many Democrats crossed over and voted in Republican primaries to support the candidate they thought a Democrat had a better chance of beating. “Reports from Georgia and Colorado suggest that an increasing number of strongly partisan and highly strategic voters are using open primary systems to attempt to sabotage a particularly distasteful opponent. Political scientists call this ‘strategic crossover voting.’” – Washington Post[iii]
In Arkansas, Democrats openly encouraged their voters to cross over and vote in the Republican primary. In most areas of Arkansas, Democrats are not going to win elections; so it was easy for Democrats to meddle in the Republican primary. Their goal during the Republican primary was to select Republicans who do not follow the Republican platform. Democrats also pumped money into an Arkansas organization called “Common Ground” which is led by Democrats and a couple of former Republicans who often voted with the Democrats in the state legislature. The Democrat Common Ground organization even endorsed some candidates in the Republican primary.
There has been serious discussion among the Republican faithful about changing the party rules to provide for a closed primary to curb Democrat crossover. Establishment Republicans who benefit from Democrat crossover votes are unlikely to support such a proposal.
Prior to the Republican State Convention earlier this year a Resolution, an Amendment to the state Republican platform, and a Rules change were circulated in support of closed primaries. During the Convention, delegates did not get a chance to vote on the Resolution but delegates did pass the Amendment to the Platform supporting closed primaries. Likewise, the delegates did not get a chance to vote on the Rules Change, which would actually give the amended Platform the teeth needed to close the primaries to Republicans only.
There will be an attempt to amend the Republican party rules to adopt closed primaries. The proposal is to be considered at the Republican Party of Arkansas’ Winter State Committee Meeting on December 3, 2022, in Little Rock. It is our understanding the proposed rule needs an affirmative two-thirds vote to pass.
If you want to express your opinion on whether or not to have closed primaries, you should speak to those delegates who are entitled to vote at the Winter Meeting. If you do not know who the voting delegates are from your area, you can find out by contacting the Republican Party of Arkansas. Here is the link to the contact information for the State Republican Headquarters.
[i] https://www.deseret.com/2022/8/10/23300551/did-democrat-money-sabotage-the-republican-primaries
[ii] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clean-sweep-democrats-cash-in-boosting-pro-trump-candidates-republican-primaries
[iii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/16/democrats-republicans-primaries-georgia-colorado-voting/
