# J. B. Pritzker, WTF are you thinking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 30, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180 "2022-06-30T13:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/41 "2022-07-20T12:37:44Z")
In Maryland, it looks like Republicans have nominated Dan Cox, a far-right Trumpist candidate for Governor. The Democratic Governors Association spent $2 million in the primary designed to promote Cox, seeing him as unelectable in the general election. Although Maryland is overwhelmingly blue, it has elected moderate Republican governors including the incumbent, Larry Hogan. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/42 "2022-07-20T13:21:05Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > The Democrats just wasted at least $5 million in Colorado, trying to get the various nutcases in the Republican party to win their respective primaries. I’m happy to report that the establishment Republicans mostly won. As such, we now have a reasonable chance of taking back large chunks of Colorado from the Dems. > [@flurb](#): > > In Maryland, it looks like Republicans have nominated Dan Cox, a far-right Trumpist candidate for Governor. The Democratic Governors Association spent $2 million in the primary designed to promote Cox, seeing him as unelectable in the general election. Although Maryland is overwhelmingly blue, it has elected moderate Republican governors including the incumbent, Larry Hogan. So sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. I still think it’s slimy. But since Republicans are pulling out every slimy tactic they possibly can to make it harder for Dems to vote (and possibly even harder for Dem votes _to count_), I guess Dems have to play the only slime cards they have. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/43 "2022-07-20T13:42:04Z")
It “works” if the more extreme Republican does prove to be unelectable in the general election. In Maryland, that seems a safe bet. But in Pennsylvania, MAGA-hatted Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano is polling within a few points of his Democratic rival and is in real contention for the general election. > **[Democrats boosted a MAGA longshot in the Pa. gov’s race. Now he’s got a real...](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/19/mastriano-pennsylvania-governor-race-00046423)** > > State Republicans are coalescing behind Doug Mastriano, despite his perceived shortcomings as a candidate in the pivotal swing state. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/44 "2022-07-20T13:56:58Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > It “works” if the more extreme Republican does prove to be unelectable in the general election. In Maryland, that seems a safe bet. But in Pennsylvania, MAGA-hatted Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano is polling within a few points of his Democratic rival and is in real contention for the general election. Yeah, if even one of these Dem-supported MAGAts actually wins, the strategists who launched these plans should be … you know, I can’t think of a just punishment that I can share without a mod warning. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/45 "2022-07-20T19:13:14Z")
I also think this is a more dangerous game to play in Governor races versus Senate races. It doesn’t really matter much whether a freshman Senator is a “moderate” or “MAGA” Republican. He or she is just one vote of 100, and on 95% of the votes that come up in the Senate they would both vote the same way anyway. A Governor has a lot more discretionary authority (varying by state) such as control of state budgets and agencies, line-item vetoes, executive orders, appointments, etc. that a MAGA Republican could put towards nefarious use. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/46 "2022-07-20T19:22:45Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > I also think this is a more dangerous game to play in Governor races versus Senate races. 100% agreed. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/47 "2022-11-11T16:19:24Z")
Well, it ended up working for Pritzker, and it pretty much worked across the board for the Dems: > **[Democrats’ Elevation Of Election Deniers Worked](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-elevation-of-election-deniers-worked_n_636b5108e4b04925c8929fcf)** > > The party played with fire and avoided any burns with its midterm election strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/48 "2022-11-11T17:12:15Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Well, it ended up working for Pritzker, and it pretty much worked across the board for the Dems: > > [Democrats’ Elevation Of Election Deniers Worked | HuffPost Latest News](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-elevation-of-election-deniers-worked_n_636b5108e4b04925c8929fcf) I know. I still don’t like it. 😐 ---
**Author:** ![SlipperyPete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@SlipperyPete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlipperyPete)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/49 "2022-11-11T18:07:01Z")
Agreed, it sets a very bad precedent. This is just one more reason we need publicly funded elections. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/50 "2022-11-11T20:52:52Z")
Yeah, worked now in a number of states but there is a moral hazard in that others may try it where it is **not** such a well-calculated risk. Also, this has the very undesirable effect of keeping the more sane, reasonable opponents out of their own party’s top leadership so the nutcases become entrenched as the baseline. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180/51 "2022-11-11T21:10:08Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Also, this has the very undesirable effect of keeping the more sane, reasonable opponents out of their own party’s top leadership so the nutcases become entrenched as the baseline. Great point. I can just hear the conversation: “Alice, you’re the kind of sane, reasonable Republican who can win office in Illinois and help nudge the party back to normal, conservative values.” “What’s the point? Pritzker will just spend millions backing some MAGAt wingnut against me.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/j-b-pritzker-wtf-are-you-thinking/967180.md?page=2)