Weekly House Cleaning
A DCCC News Roundup
We found out last week that the NRCC invented and have exclusive rights to news roundups, so we decided not to do one this week, Donald Trump-style. Just kidding, we have a thicker skin than Mr. Trump, so we’ll stick around.
This week, Chairman Lujan recapped the DCCC’s 2015 accomplishments and laid out the strong position that House Democrats are in now:
National Journal: House Democrats Paint Optimistic 2016 Landscape
House Democrats gathered here for their annual retreat heard an optimistic rallying cry about their electoral prospects from Vice President Joe Biden—and an in-depth summary of their incremental progress from their top campaign chief…
The DCCC, [Lujan] said, has recruited challengers in 55 GOP-held districts, including many not traditionally considered battlegrounds. Many of those districts have Republican incumbents but were won—or narrowly lost—by President Obama. Others have members, like Reps. Mia Love and Scott Garrett, who look safe on paper but are “untested” and potentially vulnerable.
In addition to outraising the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Democrats boast of their new data hub for congressional races, bolstered efforts to reach minorities and young voters, and inroads into redistricting efforts to change the maps that heavily favor the GOP.
Still, Lujan acknowledged, the process will be a long one, and his job now is to create opportunities rather than make guarantees. “I don’t think there’s a question that Democrats will pick up seats. We are on offense,” he said. “I know that we will be ready, and we have a plan to maximize our wins. … [The goal is] to build a battlefield strong enough so that whatever comes in 2016, we’ll catch those winds.”
THE PRESIDENTIAL SHINE
Last week, we told you that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are inflicting damage up-and-down the Republican ticket. Check out our new report this week – Down-Ballot Damage – which is chock full of specific examples of House Republicans whose seats have already been endangered by the bombastic businessman and ill-liked ideologue.
Here’s the TL;DR version, from POLITICO: “But the DCCC on Wednesday laid down an early marker, naming 13 Republicans in swing districts whom the DCCC thinks would be most damaged by the Trump brand — or could be spurred to take more conservative positions in order to curry favor with the anti-establishment voters who are attracted to Trump and Cruz.”
But as DCCC Chairman Luján told the AP this week, the damage to House Republicans’ chances isn’t based on Trump or Cruz hypothetically winning the GOP presidential nomination – it’s already underway:
“The Republican presidential primary circus has already shifted the debate so far to the right to an extreme place that House Republicans, House Republican candidates and up- and down-ballot Republicans across America are taking more extreme positions and are saying more extreme things than they normally would have,” Luján said.
And last night’s debate only proved our point. Without Donald Trump even on stage, the rest of the field was busy desperately trying to see who could stake out the most right-wing-anti-immigrant position. House Republicans already struggling to distance themselves from their party on immigration couldn’t have been happy about that…
Another hallmark of the GOP primary’s race to the right has been its impact on House Republicans’ legislative agenda. The anti-Planned Parenthood rhetoric being spouted on the Presidential campaign trail has been consistently echoed by House Republicans, who have held repeated votes to defund the life-saving organization – votes that the Washington Post notes are “putting [Republican] members between a rock and a hard place.”
House Republicans have repeatedly justified the votes to defund Planned Parenthood – and their wasteful Select Committee to “investigate” the organization – by pointing to thoroughly debunked videos. As noted by NYT and Newsweek, the DCCC is holding House Republicans accountable for jumping to conclusions, now that the videos’ creators have been indicted.
Incumbents like Mike Coffman and Jeff Denham are already feeling pressure for being on the wrong side of a woman’s right to choose. Coffman’s anti-choice positions were detailed this week by the AP, Aurora Sentinel, and Colorado Independent, and the LA Times notes that Denham is feeling the heat for voting to defund Planned Parenthood.
FRESH FACES
Jacky Rosen in NV-03: From the Las Vegas Sun: Jacky Rosen, president of Congregation Ner Tamid in Henderson, is running for the open seat, where Democrats hold a registration advantage.
Jon Tollefson in MN-03: Threes are wild this week. From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Tollefson announced his campaign “to bring the true values of Minnesotans to Washington.”
THE DIRT FROM THE DISTRICTS
ME-02: Per NECN, Bruce Poliquin “is proposing a bill to fix an issue he admits hasn’t been a problem yet.” Ouch. The issue? Terrorists supposedly receiving welfare. And while Bruce can’t name a single time a terrorist went on food stamps, “he says he does not support a bipartisan bill to prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns.” More than 2,000 terror suspects purchased guns in the U.S. in the last decade.
AZ-01: The candidate that the Arizona Republic described as “the front-runner in a six-way Republican primary” is facing a disturbing scandal. In a new video released by ABC 15, Babeu is seen touting “abusive, inhumane discipline of special needs teens at boarding school.” Even Wendy “Social Security is Unconstitutional” Rogers has called for him to drop out of the race and has labeled him a disgrace to the U.S.
MI-07: From the Ann Arbor News: Gretchen Driskell calls on Tim Walberg, member of the House Oversight Committee, to demand Governor Rick Snyder’s testimony at an upcoming hearing on the Flint water crisis. A former cab driver, Driskell offered to drive Snyder to Washington herself.
MI-08: Mike Bishop claims it’s an “insult” to be placed “On Notice” by EMILY’s List – but Michigan women and families are the ones insulted by his repeated votes to defund Planned Parenthood and ban access to birth control.
MN-08: Watch Stewart Mills III tie himself in knots walking back his own false statement when he’s called out by a local reporter.
MT-AL: Ryan Zinke was taken to school for burning through more money last quarter than he brought in. Zinke spent a whopping of $2 million last year with NOTHING to show for it.
PA-07: Responding to the Daily Times’ report that Pat Meehan is facing a primary challenge, Bill Golderer noted that Meehan’s constituents on both sides of the aisle are clearly frustrated with his failed leadership.
FL-10: Chief Val Demings received the unanimous endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus, from the Orlando Sentinel.
TX-23: Inside Sources has the line on how Donald Trump’s candidacy poses unique challenges for vulnerable Congressman Will Hurd’s reelection chances against Pete Gallego.
Till next week!