Inside the growing firestorm over House Democrats' meddling in their own primaries

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is baffling fellow Democrats by pouring money into yet another competitive House primary — this time in Arizona.

Why it matters: The DCCC has racked up a spotty record in its attempts to intervene in Democratic primaries this cycle, leading some House Democrats to question why they're paying dues to the campaign committee.

• Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who previously criticized the DCCC for intervening in California, told Axios she is "frustrated" to see the practice in her own backyard.
• Another House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to criticize leadership, told Axios, "The DCCC's endorsement, I think, hurts the message."

State of play: Two primary candidates in California and Maine backed by the DCCC's endorsements and ad spending have already lost their races.

• The group's big success was in Texas' 35th District primary, in which DCCC-supported sheriff's deputy Johnny Garcia beat sex therapist Maureen Galindo, who had come under fire for antisemitic comments.
• "If someone has the DCCC's endorsement, I don't think that's very helpful for them. It may even work against them," said the House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Driving the news: The DCCC is running a $200,000 joint ad buy with Marlene Galán-Woods in Arizona's 1st District, its largest primary investment to date, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

• The ad states: "We need Democrats willing to actually fight for us, courageous leaders who are going to stand up against MAGA Republicans, leaders like Marlene Galán-Woods."
• The former journalist and widow of Republican former state Attorney General Grant Woods faces a crowded Democratic primary field, including former state Rep. Amish Shah, the nominee for the seat in 2024.
• The highly competitive, Phoenix-based battleground seat is currently held by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), who is retiring to run for governor.

Catch up quick: In May, the DCCC added Galán-Woods to its "Red to Blue" program, which provides resources to Democrats running in GOP-held or open House seats.

• Typically, the program helps general election candidates, but this year the DCCC is taking a more aggressive approach and getting involved in primaries as well.
• The strategy has yielded lackluster results, however, with DCCC-endorsed Jasmeet Bains in California's 22nd District and Joe Baldacci in Maine's 2nd losing to more progressive primary opponents.

What they're saying: "I get the argument that you want to back the person you think can beat the Republican, but unless the other candidate is a DINO [Democrat in name only], I think they need to stay out," said Grijalva.

• Former Arizona state Sen. Sean Bowie told Axios he was "surprised" the DCCC threw its support behind Galán-Woods, noting that she is a former Republican and that Shah beat her for the nomination two years earlier.
• "It seems like Amish has more grassroots support just at the local level ... whereas Marlene seems like it's much more just air support coming in from D.C.," Bowie said. "Why her over someone like Amish?"

What we're hearing: There is lingering resentment between the DCCC and Shah over strategic decisions he made in 2024, several Democratic sources told Axios.

• The DCCC found Shah difficult to work with, chafed at his preference for door-knocking over making fundraising calls, and was unhappy with his refusal to run negative ads, the sources said.

Shah campaign spokesperson Colin Lauderdale told Axios that Shah is "well-liked in this district because he shows up and listens."

• He said it shows how out of touch party insiders are that they would "attack Amish for taking the time to talk to voters and hear their concerns," also noting that Shah raised $4.9 million for the general election in 2024.
• "Primaries should be decided by Democratic voters, not D.C. insiders trying to put their thumb on the scales," Lauderdale said of DCCC's decision to back Galán-Woods.

The other side: The DCCC is "hyperfocused on winning general elections," Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) told us, adding that its "decisions are all focused in on helping Democrats win the majority in this upcoming election."

• Stanton noted Arizona's 1st District is "a must-win seat to win the majority" and that "regardless of who wins the primary, they're going to have massive support from DCCC to win this critical seat."
• The DCCC referred Axios to a past statement by its chair, Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), praising Galán-Woods as a "trusted voice who spent 20 years in broadcast journalism speaking truth to power" and "the common-sense fighter Arizonans deserve."

Between the lines: The House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity predicted that a $200,000 ad buy probably doesn't offset the PR cost of tethering a candidate to the hated party establishment.

• "I'm seeing what everyone else is seeing, which is an anti-D.C., anti-establishment wave in Democratic primaries. Voters are upset with Democratic leadership," the lawmaker said.
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in support is "meaningful to a good candidate who's struggling with fundraising, but that's not what's happening in some of these races. You just need to have enough money," they added.