House Democratic leaders made an impassioned final plea Thursday night to get their rank and file to cough up more money for their effort to expand the party’s majority, just as Members are set to head home to hit the campaign trail a month before Election Day.
In a closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) implored their colleagues to come up with the $14 million in Members’ dues needed to meet their overall $50 million goal, according to people who were present.
While we still have a cash advantage over the NRCC, the number of seats in play as we approach crunch time is so enormous that even the relatively hale DCCC needs a big money infusion to stay competitive everywhere. This is a once-in-a-generation (or perhaps lifetime) opportunity, and we need every last dime we can get. The good news is that members of our caucus still have a lot they can give:
Democratic lawmakers who are not politically in danger or in competitive races are collectively sitting on roughly $153 million in their re-election accounts, according to party tally sheets. (Emphasis added.)
Fortunately, it looks like some Dems are seriously stepping it up:
Several Members announced on the spot that they were writing checks, according to sources in the room.
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas), who is included in the DCCC’s “Frontline” program for vulnerable incumbents even though his re-election in November seems certain, said he wouldn’t be in Congress if it weren’t for the generosity of the Caucus and announced he was giving $100,000 – news that elicited audible gasps from his peers.
Edwards sits in the reddest district held by a Democrat in the entire country – Texas’s 17th CD gave 70% of its vote to George Bush. Meanwhile, Rep. Ron Klein (FL-22) gave another $100K on top of the $100K he’s already given, and he’s only a freshman. If folks like Edwards and Klein can kick it up a notch, then almost every other member can as well. Time’s a-wastin’.
this election presents an opportunity Democrats may not see for another generation. This is the time to strike hard and deep at GOP seats – you never know who the next Gingrich or Delay is – let’s kick ’em out now.
still. if they are at 153 million sitting in their coffers they should have asked for 10%. That would have been another 1.3 mil to spend.
If your reading this. Give us the list of members who have not paid their dues and let me tell you. We will do everything to make sure they do.
I’m ready for another round of Use it or Lose it!
He votes with the party as much as he can in an extremely conservative district and I can’t recall him ever taking a shot at the party. Great news that he’s donating $100,000 of his money to help us expand our majority. If anyone culd have had a legit excuse for not chipping in it’s Chet. He’s probably going to face tough fights for re-election in future years.
they can only give candidates $5,000, but can’t they unload as much as they want to DCCC.
They can’t do anything with campaign coffers other than spend it right?