Weekly House Cleaning
A DCCC News Roundup
Since the beginning of the election cycle, the DCCC has been aggressively recruiting across the country and expanding our offensive battlefield, district by district, all in an effort to be ready for whatever opportunities arise during this unpredictable cycle. As reported this morning by Roll Call, six new races have been added to the DCCC’s Emerging Races program, highlighting that the campaigns are on track to put their seats in play:
Working to expand the number of competitive congressional districts this fall, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has landed Colorado state Sen. Gail Schwartz to take on Rep. Scott Tipton in the 3rd District. Schwartz, who is announcing her candidacy Friday, will challenge Tipton in a district Republicans carried by narrow single-digit margins in the 2008 and 2012 presidential races.
Also on Friday, the DCCC is adding Schwartz and five other candidates to its “Emerging Races” list, part of its “Red to Blue” program for strong Democratic candidates running in open seats or districts now represented by Republicans. The DCCC offers these candidates financial and strategic support.
“With the chaos and uncertainty at the top of the Republican ticket, our battlefield of competitive races continues to expand, and these candidates are well-positioned to earn the trust of voters and take advantage of this ongoing Republican dysfunction and the electoral winds it creates,” DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM., said in a statement obtained first by Roll Call.
The new Emerging Races are:
- CA-25 – Bryan Caforio
- CO-03 – Gail Schwartz
- NY-21 – Mike Derrick
- NY-22 – Kim Myers
- VA-04 – Don McEachin
- WI-08 – Tom Nelson
With these additions, 37 districts and candidates are part of the Red to Blue or Emerging Races programs. There are 16 candidates selected for Red to Blue, plus 5 districts with multiple Democratic candidates that have also qualified for Red to Blue. The Emerging Races aspect of the program now has 14 candidates and 2 Emerging Districts, and there will be additional candidates added to Red to Blue in the future.
And now, on to the Presidential…
Senator Ted Cruz’s double-digit win in the Wisconsin primary this week only underscores the volatility of the GOP presidential primary, which continues to threaten downballot Republicans across the country. As Senator Lindsey Graham noted, choosing between Trump and Cruz is like “being shot or poisoned,” and numerous recent polls prove that his colorful comment is no laughing matter for House Republicans – both Trump and Cruz are highly unpopular amongst key voting blocs like women, millennials, Hispanics, and independents. The Fix points out some of the many reasons why the prospect of a Cruz nomination should “worry” vulnerable Senate GOPers, and the same holds true for Republicans running in competitive House districts.
With Trump and Cruz both poised to cause significant downballot damage as the prospective Republican nominee, it’s perhaps understandable why exasperated national Republicans are floating a fantasy plan of nominating Speaker Paul Ryan at a contested convention. As Charlie Cook notes, the process needed to anoint Ryan (or another white knight) “ain’t gonna happen.” Further, national Republicans’ insistence that Ryan is somehow a “fresh face” for their severely damaged Republican brand is as false as it is desperate. Atop the 2012 GOP ticket, Ryan was soundly rejected by voters nationwide. What’s changed in the last four years? Only that Ryan has become the face of a wildly unpopular, dysfunctional Republican-led House, which is poised to fail to even complete his most basic objective as Speaker: passing a budget
As long as Washington Republicans are going to try and help Paul Ryan rewrite history on his extreme Conservative losing record, we’ll be over at RyanRealityCheck.com holding him accountable. Check that space for frequent updates on ApPauling Ryan.
FRESH FACES
AK-AL: Via KTUU: Former journalist and non-profit leader makes challenge to Don Young official. Shortly thereafter, Midnight Sun highlighted a poll showing incumbent Republican Don Young’s approval at a six-year low.
CO-03: From the Denver Post: State Senator Gail Schwartz announced her candidacy this morning against Republican Rep. Scott Tipton, promising to build on her record of delivering results for Western Coloradans. Following Schwartz’s announcement Cook Political Report moved the seat to its “Lean Republican” column from “Solid Republican.”
WI-08: Yesterday, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson announced his candidacy for the open seat in Wisconsin’s 8th district, highlighting his record of bipartisan accomplishments, per the Post-Crescent. Following Nelson’s announcement, Cook Political Report moved the seat to its “Toss Up” column from “Lean Republican.”
EN LAS NOTICIAS
Donald Trump finally released his plan on how he’s going to make Mexico pay for the border wall. In his latest ataques en contra la comunidad latina, Trump wants to kidnap remittances from hardworking immigrant families, increase trade tariffs, and deny visas to those wanting to visit the United States. In districts where Latino families would be hurt by Trump’s reckless plan, Mike Coffman (CO-06), David Valadao (CA-21), and Jeff Denham (CA-10) have said that they would support the Republican nominee, even if it’s Trump.
¡Que no se te pase! The Washington Post reported that “Hispanic Republicans like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders better than Donald Trump.” Now it makes perfect sense why Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) said he was open to the idea of voting for Hillary!
THE DIRT FROM THE DISTRICTS
AZ-01: A new poll showed that scandal plagued Sheriff Paul Babeu is the GOP primary frontrunner with a 27 point lead over his closest opponents. There is outrage today after House Speaker David Gowan banned reporters from the House floor (taking a cue from Babeu?) if they do not consent to “extensive background checks.” The Arizona Republic reported Carlyle Begay has benefited from $44,000 in dark money to help him win elections. And so the clown car keeps barreling down the road.
CA-24: Despite protests by his constituents, Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian voted on the wrong side of history by opposing raising California’s minimum wage. This isn’t Achadjian’s first vote wrong for the district – his long record of votes limiting access to women’s healthcare and against environmental protections won’t jive on the Central Coast.
CA-25: The Porter Ranch Gas Leak may be capped, but the criticism of vulnerable Steve Knight keeps on drip, drip, dripping. Last week it was New York Times Magazine, this week it’s Energy and Environment deep-diving into Knight’s negligence. Tonight Knight is scheduled to debate Democrat Bryan Caforio for the first time.
CA-52: Earlier this month Washington lobbyist Denise Gitsham came under fire for calling herself “ambiguously ethnic enough to pass as almost anything,” but now it’s her ambiguous ethics she’ll need to answer for. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Gitsham failed to complete her financial disclosure forms, leaving voters in the dark about potential conflicts of interest.
FL-07: A write up in The Hill featured FL-07 as a district that could be impacted by Trump at the top of the ticket. The write-up mentioned Mica’s vulnerability on several issues including him refusing to take a position on supporting Trump as the GOP nominee, his offensive remarks on illegal immigration, and his spending on meals with constituents, which could violate House Ethics Rules.
FL-18: Candidate Randy Perkins announced another good fundraising quarter and now holds more than $2.1 million cash on hand. Meanwhile, yet another Republican candidate entered the crowded primary field.
IA-01: After doubling down on his bizarrely out-of-touch pro-recession message last week, Recession Rod Blum was taken to task in an editorial by the Des Moines Register: “If this is any indication of how Blum approaches his job in the U.S. House of Representatives, we’re in trouble.”
IL-10: As reported by Roll Call, a new general election poll this week showed Democrat Brad Schneider with a nine-point lead over incumbent Republican Bob Dold. Schneider also outraised Dold in the first quarter.
IN-02: The Elkhart Truth notes that Jackie Walorski is dodging questions from her opponent Lynn Coleman on whether Walorski will support Trump as the GOP nominee, despite the fact that both she and Trump have suggested that women should face criminal punishment for having an abortion.
ME-02: Bruce Poliquin once again got knocked for refusing to say who he’d back as his party’s standard bearer.
MI-01: A local columnist took the NRCC’s handpicked candidate Tom Casperson to task for what they call “his ignorance, stupidity, or a weak grasp on reality.”
MI-08: Shorter Mike Bishop – “Do as I say, not as I… say.” Bishop was caught lying about his Michigan bridge promise to voters.
NJ-05: “Terminally uncharismatic” House Republican Scott Garrett was awarded another “loser” week for his lackluster fundraising and shameless attempt to paper over his view that sexual orientation should disqualify someone from running for office.
NV-03: A new general election poll this week showed Democrat Jacky Rosen neck and neck with establishment politician Michael Roberson, though he’ll have to make it out of his messy primary first. Last week a GOP primary poll showing Roberson a distant third – nearly 30 points behind Danny Tarkanian and even losing to Michele Fiore. Yes, that Michele Fiore.
NV-04: Per The Spectrum, “political experts who forecast the race for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Mesquite Republican Cresent Hardy, are in agreement:” Hardy is probably gonna lose. No surprise, when he continues to say things like, “I don’t owe you an education,” referring to Nevadans. Fact: Nevada has the worst schools in the nation.
NY-23: Trump insults women, sees popularity sink; but Congressman Tom Reed still “sticks with Trump.”
PA-07/08: Pennsylvania’s presidential primary is coming up, and both Brian Fitzpatrick and Pat Meehan will be forced to reveal their choices in the presidential primary, and will be forced to make the choice between Cruz and Trump that Lindsay Graham described as deciding between “being shot or poisoned.” Meehan has still refused to say whether or not he will follow the lead of his once favored candidate, Chris Christie, and endorse Trump.
TX-23: Pete Gallego released a video this week highlighting Will Hurd’s hypocrisy on Big Bend National Park, highlighting a bill Hurd sponsored that would militarize the border and harm the park.
VA-10: The Loudoun Times-Mirror this week examined the impact of Donald Trump on the congressional race, and the verdict is not good for Barbara Comstock. Her campaign continues to cling desperately to her previous support of Marco Rubio and refuses to take a position on who she will support. Meanwhile, a new poll shows that nearly a third of Republican voters in Virginia will not vote for Donald Trump in a general election. Barbara Comstock can keep trying to hide from Trump, but she will soon be forced to face reality, and the many policy positions she shares with Trump.