Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae said the June 3 local elections are about protecting President Lee Jae-myung [1].
The framing of the election as a defensive measure for the presidency suggests a strategy to maximize voter turnout by linking local contests to the survival of the national administration.
Jeong visited several areas in Seoul, including Gangdong, Dongjak, and Mapo, to engage with voters and party supporters [2]. During these visits, he said the upcoming vote is a confrontation between "insurrectionary forces" and the citizens who seek to overcome such forces [2].
Jeong criticized the influence of former presidents, referring to the current political climate as a return to the eras of Yoon Suk Yeol, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in [1]. He said this trend is "Yoon Again, Park Again, and MB Again" [2]. He said that three former presidents had been associated with impeachment or corruption [1].
To counter the support the conservative party is receiving from former leaders, Jeong urged his base to unite. He said that the party must remain cohesive to ensure victory in the local races [2].
"This election is an election to protect President Lee Jae-myung," Jeong said [2]. He said that the contest is a "confrontation between insurrectionary forces and the people who overcome insurrection" [2].
Jeong concluded his remarks by calling for unity among the party's supporters. He said, "We can win if we bunch together tightly" [2].
“This election is an election to protect President Lee Jae-myung.”
By defining the local elections as a battle to protect the presidency, the Democratic Party is attempting to nationalize local races. This tactic aims to transform routine administrative elections into a high-stakes referendum on the current administration, potentially alienating moderate voters while consolidating a passionate core of supporters through existential political rhetoric.
