DNC Chair: Let Bannon Take Shots at GOP

At a Washington, D.C., press breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Perez gave his party’s first official “blessing” to the Breitbart CEO’s campaign to primary challengers to several of the 10 Republican senators up for election in 2018.

In explaining why Democrats could make gains in certain states, the party chairman singled out Nevada. Republican Sen. Dean Heller faces a strong primary challenge from Bannon-backed attorney Danny Tarkanian.

“In 2016, [Democrat] Catherine Cortez Masto won because she was a great candidate, we ran a great campaign, and organizers were on the ground in 2015,” said Perez. “Her motto in 2016 was 'Heck no!' and that’s how they defeated Joe Heck. The motto in 2018 is “Hell no” because that’s how I think we can defeat Dean Heller.”

In describing likely Democratic nominee and Rep. Jacky Rosen as “a remarkable candidate,” Perez said of Heller: “I don’t know how for the life of me he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act when his Republican governor pleaded with him not to.”

Perez went on to list Arizona (where Republican Sen. Jeff Flake is retiring), Tennessee (where GOP Sen. Bob Corker is stepping down), and Alabama (where Bannon-backed Republican Roy Moore is in a tight race with Democrat Doug Jones) “as real opportunities.”

He also mentioned Mississippi, where State Sen. and Bannon favorite Chris McDaniel is contemplating a primary challenge to Sen. Roger Wicker.

“Mississippi is an example of what we can do if we implement our game plan for organizing,” he said. “In the most recent election, the biggest vote-getter was [State Attorney General] Jim Hood … Jim is a very popular leader because he’s a great leader. Hillary Clinton got something like 45 percent of the vote with no ground operation. Imagine what you can do if you’re talking to people.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.