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Democratic political strategist James Carville has said the success of Republican candidates such as Herschel Walker and Dr Mehmet Oz in primaries is down to "stupid people" voting for them.
Carville was highly critical of Walker, the GOP's Senate candidate for Georgia in November's midterm elections, during an interview with MSNBC's Ayman Mohyeldin on Monday.
The political strategist's remarks come after the former NFL star faced a backlash from voters and other Republicans over comments made by his son, Christian Walker, and allegations that he paid an ex-girlfriend to get an abortion.
Walker, who is standing on an anti-abortion platform, has strongly denied the report in the Daily Beast on Monday, saying he intends to sue the publication.
Christian Walker accused his father of "lying" and "violence" in a series of tweets, claiming he and his mother had suffered because of his father's behavior.
Carville accused Walker of "hypocrisy" during the MSNBC interview.
Mohyeldin mentioned reports that Georgia Republicans were distancing themselves from Walker and asked Carville whether the GOP was in trouble due to the quality of its candidates. The interview mentioned Walker and Oz, the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania—as well as Doug Mastriano and Blake Masters.
"I have said it before: they have a lot of stupid people that vote in their primaries, they really do," Carville said.
"I know you're not supposed to say that, but it is an obvious fact. You know when stupid people vote, do you know who they nominate? Other stupid people.
"The Republicans have a problem, they have got very low-quality people that vote in their primaries and they are producing, predictably, very low-quality candidates.
"It is evident right in front of you."
Oz's election chances might also have been dented by an article published on Monday. A Jezebel report that reviewed 75 academic studies found that experiments overseen by Oz had caused the deaths of at least 329 dogs, as well as other animals.
A slew of recent polls have shown that Oz is behind his Democratic rival, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, in the Pennsylvania race.
If Walker and Oz lose in November, it could reflect poorly on former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed both candidates.
Critics who warned that some nominees backed by Trump could be a hard sell to voters may be proven correct, according to Thomas Gift, founding director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London.
"With the midterms just a month away, a number of Trump-backed candidates seem to be hobbling toward the finish line," Gift previously told Newsweek.
"Whether their flagging poll numbers are a function of poor campaigning, allegations of misconduct, or a broader electoral tide favoring Democrats, it's possible Trump may live to regret some of his most prominent endorsements."
Newsweek has contacted Herschel Walker and Dr Mehmet Oz for comment.
About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more