Democratic Primaries Fueled by Stock Trading Accusations

Accusations of self-dealing and personal enrichment are dominating Democratic primaries across the country, as candidates seeking to harness voter anger over congressional stock trading turn the issue against one another in increasingly bitter intraparty contests.

In Texas, former U.S. Representative Colin Allred is challenging incumbent Representative Julie Johnson in a Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat. Allred said voters regularly ask him about politicians getting rich in Washington. He has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies including Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to the Trump administration. Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager and that she made only $90 on the Palantir stock. She pointed to financial disclosures showing Allred’s wealth nearly doubled while he was in Congress. Allred said his assets were in a blind trust and the growth came from his wife’s income.

The Texas race reflects a broader dynamic within the party. Long a focus for progressive and good-government advocates, accusations that political rivals are using their positions for personal financial gain have become a central feature of Democratic...