Roll Call - ‘Red to Blue’ Program Is Expanded

September 19, 2006 By Josh Kurtz and Jennifer Yachnin

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Monday added seven candidates to its “Red to Blue” fundraising program and announced that the winner of Saturday’s Democratic primary in Hawaii’s 2nd district would be included on the program’s candidate list. The DCCC also announced the creation of an “Emerging Candidates” list — Democrats who are running competitive races in districts that traditionally are Republican strongholds.

In a related development, the committee on Monday launched a fundraising solicitation keying off Rep. John Murtha’s (Pa.) call for the swift withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Democratic House Members have agreed to triple any donations of at least $35 that the DCCC gets during the next two weeks.

The newest additions to the Red to Blue list are former Arizona state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords, the Democratic nominee in the open-seat race to replace Rep. Jim Kolbe (R); Phil Hare, a former aide to Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.) who is running to succeed his boss; attorney Paul Hodes, who is in a rematch with Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.); allergist Steve Kagen, who is competing to replace Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.); former Congressional aide Dan Maffei, who is challenging Rep. Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.); Colorado state Rep. Angie Paccione (D), who is taking on Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R); and former Ohio state Rep. Betty Sutton (D), the frontrunner in the race to replace Rep. Sherrod Brown (D).

These Democrats join 34 other House candidates who already have been included on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list. The program provides extra fundraising, communications and strategic help to the top Democratic candidates for House seats. Already the program has raised about $8.2 million for the DCCC’s preferred candidates.

“With less than two months to go, the DCCC is excited to give our top candidates the necessary strategic and financial boost they will need to win in November,” DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) said in a statement.

The candidates on the DCCC’s Emerging Races list also should benefit from the committee’s largesse. This group is made up exclusively of Democratic challengers.

It includes: Charlie Brown, who is taking on Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.); Jack Davis, challenger to Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.); Judy Feder, who is running against Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.); Peter Goldmark, who is taking on Rep. Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.); Larry Kissell, the opponent of Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.); Tim Mahoney, challenger to Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.); Eric Massa, who is running against Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.); Jerry McNerney, who is in a rematch with Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.); Dave Mejias, who is taking on Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.); Maxine Moul, the challenger to Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.); Dan Seals, who is running against Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.); ex-Rep. Bob Shamansky, who is trying to get his old job back in a race against Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio); Ellen Simon, challenger to Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.); Tim Walz, who is running against Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.); and Victoria Wulsin, who is taking on Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio).

Carl Forti, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, was dismissive of the DCCC’s newly favored candidates.

“There is no better example of the B- and C- level candidates Mr. Emanuel has recruited this cycle than his latest list,” he said.

While the DCCC was getting its candidate list in place, it also initiated a matching fundraising campaign Monday to pay for its operations, framing the two-week effort around Murtha’s anti-Iraq War message.

“Let there be no doubt that Democrats are united behind the fight against terrorism. Democrats are united behind our troops. And Democrats are united behind a strong America,” Murtha wrote in an e-mail solicitation for the DCCC. “But as far as Iraq goes, the truth is that the American people have been way out ahead of the Bush Administration. Sixty percent of the American people disagree with the direction in Iraq because nobody is being held accountable and we’re not making any progress.”

A DCCC aide said the e-mail is one in a series Murtha agreed to produce for the campaign committee, all of which have focused on the war.

The DCCC declined to release its goal for the two-week fundraising program, which concludes Sept. 30. The matching funds will be paid by Members who have agreed to participate in the program, the DCCC aide said, but a list of those lawmakers was not immediately available.

According to DCCC records obtained by Roll Call, Murtha — who in June announced that he would seek the Majority Leader’s office if Democrats retake control of the House this fall — has pulled in approximately $1.2 million for the committee this cycle, although he remains just shy of completing his dues payment, contributing $242,500 of the $250,000 required from ranking members on exclusive subcommittees.

The man he would run against, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), was not involved in Monday’s fundraising pitch, but as the current No. 2 in the Democratic leadership, Hoyer has raised more than $3 million for the DCCC this cycle while also contributing the full $600,00 in dues required by his post.