The DCCC’s IE shop is really kicking into gear, leaving the tight-budgeted NRCC in the dust. Here’s a round-up of the DCCC’s most recent independent expenditures, as compiled by SSP:
- OH-15: $1,350 on phonebanking and $15,700 on direct mail in support of Mary Jo Kilroy
- TX-22: $24,400 on direct mail in support of Nick Lampson
- IL-11: $20,450 on direct mail in support of Debbie Halvorson
- NJ-07: $13,100 on direct mail in support of Linda Stender
- OH-16: $12,500 on direct mail in support of John Boccieri
- PA-11: $80,000 on a media buy in support of Paul Kanjorski
- VA-11: $1,240 on phonebanking in support of Gerry Connolly
- AK-AL: $18,100 on direct mail against Don Young and Sean Parnell
I’ve seen a lot of people on Team Blue dismiss Lou Barletta’s chances in PA-11, but the fact that the DCCC feels nervous enough to continue to bail out Kanjorski’s ass (spending $260K to date) is a disturbing sign.
Maybe Kanjorski might be suffering the same fate as Phil Crane, a long term Congressman that people are just tired of?
I wonder if the mailing done on behalf of Nick Lampson is more pro-Lampson or anti-Olson type of stuff. I am curious as to the kind of message that would be sent out in a tough district like that where you have to be very careful.
and move it forward slowly.
I don’t know anything about Kanjorski or Barletta, but I do know about Phil Crane. I’m guessing that the Kanjorski and Crane situations are completely different.
Crane was not dumped because people were tired of a longtime congressman. He was dumped because he was viewed as incompetent. BY REPUBLICANS.
It was well known, for example, that Gingrich refused to give Crane a chairmanship after the Republicans took over Congress in 1995 although he had far more seniority than several other committee chairs.
Republicans also openly discussed that he was lazy and arrogant. He was regarded as someone who did as few constituent services as possible and was very unintelligent about the issues.
In addition, he had well known personal problems like drinking.
Republicans in the know wanted him out. My recollection is that he was challenged in primaries, but they could not beat him because of his name recognition. In general elections, they held their nose and voted for him because they hate anyone who will vote what they deem as “liberal” on issues.
Melissa Bean successfully sold herself as a pro-business conservative/social moderate and was able to break through that liberal barrier.
In addition, all Chicago suburban districts are becoming more liberal anyway. I believe that trend is strong in the Philadelphia area too, but not so much in a much smaller town like Hazleton.
Shalom,
ZWrite
That if there were any place that the DCCC could put enough effort like that into, it should be AK-AL and OH-16