One of the new initiatives over at the NRCC under Pete Sessions’ watch has been the creation of its “Patriot Program”, a Frontline-like fundraising effort to shore up the most vulnerable Republicans in the House. The first round was launched in May, and now the NRCC is adding 15 new names to the effort. Roll Call has the dirt, but here are the targeted district in sortable chart form:
| Incumbent | District | PVI | 2008 Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Rogers | AL-03 | R+9 | 6% |
| Mary Bono Mack | CA-45 | R+3 | 14% |
| Bill Posey | FL-15 | R+6 | 11% |
| Tom Rooney | FL-16 | R+5 | 20% |
| Mario Diaz-Balart | FL-25 | R+5 | 6% |
| Lynn Jenkins | KS-02 | R+9 | 5% |
| John Fleming | LA-04 | R+11 | <1% |
| Bill Cassidy | LA-06 | R+10 | 8% |
| Michele Bachmann | MN-06 | R+7 | 3% |
| Blaine Luetkemeyer | MO-09 | R+9 | 3% |
| Lee Terry | NE-02 | R+6 | 4% |
| Scott Garrett | NJ-05 | R+7 | 14% |
| Dean Heller | NV-02 | R+5 | 11% |
| Charlie Dent | PA-15 | D+2 | 18% |
| Cynthia Lummis | WY-AL | R+20 | 10% |
It’s a bit of a weird list, one that’s a mixture of incumbents in real danger (Bachmann, Terry, Dent) and more than a few names who I don’t expect will receive serious challenges this cycle (Garrett, Jenkins, the Louisiana twins, and Luetkemeyer) or anytime soon (Lummis). While the first batch of Patriot participants came predominantly from Obama districts, the opposite is true for this second round. Only Bono Mack, Terry, and Dent occupy districts that Obama won (though McCain barely won NV-02). Amusingly, birther nutcase Bill Posey finds his way onto the list; you may remember Posey as the guy whom the DCCC could find no warm body to run against in 2008, other than Mike Gravel fan Stephen Blythe.
Also interesting is who ain’t on the list for the second time in a row: Bill Young (FL-10) and Mike Castle (DE-AL). Both are facing strong challengers (though Charlie Justice has some work to do), and while Castle admits that a re-election bid is unlikely, the geriatric Young’s exclusion seems more telling. Or is the NRCC perhaps hedging its bets?