Running for local, state, or congress sucks balls. You’re basically a beggar, you have almost no power, you are beholden to your sponsors and party leadership, and you’re expected to work long hours campaigning for shit you barely care about while pet issues get lost in the shuffle. Most of your time is on the phone making promises you won’t keep to people who don’t believe you. The rest of your time is spent in transit. Everyone hates you, you’re surrounded by morons, and if you can’t even sneeze on camera without your opponents posting the ugly sneeze face photo on twitter.

Basically, the DNC has to beg candidates to keep them around. One reward they like to dangle is support from the national committee. Blocking primary challengers helps the candidate save some cash make makes their re-election seem inevitable. It’s a massive weight off, especially for younger politicians with few fonnections and fewer leverage options.

Is it right? Fuck no. I agree with you completely. But I can certainly understand why, if I were st the top of that ant hill, I wouldn’t want climbers to get a foothold, either.