Tag: DCCC

Dems say GOP broke ethics rules using video trackers in House office buildings

Democratic campaign arm seeks ethics probe

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is accusing its GOP counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, of violating ethics rules by sending trackers to video record members of Congress in House office buildings.

The DCCC filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Monday alleging the NRCC and its chairman, Minnesota GOP Rep. Tom Emmer, violated House rules barring lawmakers from using official resources for political purposes.  Twitter accounts for the NRCC and some of the committee’s spokespeople posted videos of Democrats in House office building hallways being questioned by someone in December and January.

Trackers, or campaign staffers who take video of candidates and pepper them with questions, are common. But the Capitol complex has been considered off-limits for trackers in the past. The DCCC contended in its complaint that trackers on the Capitol grounds are not just frowned upon, they violate the rules. Continue reading.

DCCC again asks NRCC to pledge not to use hacked materials

Bustos resending a letter first sent to Emmer six months ago

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is renewing a request to its Republican counterpart that both parties pledge not to use hacked materials in the 2020 campaign.

DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois first sent such a letter to National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Tom Emmer in April. Six months later, she’s resending the letter, following House passage — largely along party lines — of an election security bill this week.

“The urgency I conveyed in April has not dissipated. In fact, the importance of this issue has only grown,” Bustos wrote in the letter, which was obtained first by CQ Roll Call.

View the complete October 25 article by Simone Pathé on The Roll Call website here.

Mueller report is a reminder that Russian hack hit House races, too

Talks between the DCCC and NRCC about using stolen information stalled in September

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report provided new details Thursday about how Russian agents hacked into Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee computers in 2016, renewing the question of whether the two parties would agree not to use stolen material in future political attacks.

Leaders of the DCCC and the National Republican Congressional Committee came close to such an an agreement in late 2018, but talks broke down.

The two committees, which have new leaders for the 2020 cycle, have not restarted discussions. The DCCC is interested in re-engaging in talks, according to a source familiar with the committee’s thinking.

View the complete April 18 article by Bridget Bowman on The Roll Call website here.

Democrats identify 44 vulnerable House members to defend in 2020

Almost all the members named to the Democrats’ Frontline Program are freshmen

Democrats made historic gains in the House last fall, and now they need to defend those seats heading into the 2020 election.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Thursday named 44 members to its Frontline Program for its most vulnerable incumbents.

The committee already released a list of 33 offensive targets, but with so many freshmen in districts that President Donald Trump won in 2016, the DCCC will be working to hold those seats during a presidential year.

View the complete February 7 article by Simone Pathé on The Roll Call website here.

New Record for ‘Outside Spending’ on Minnesota House Races

With nearly three weeks to go before Election Day, outside special interest groups have already spent a record amount of money in Minnesota. This week, the outside spending surpassed $27 million, more than the record $26.9 million spent in the entire 2016 election cycle.

“Money is attracted to competitive races and we’re right in the middle of that,” said Steven Schier, a political scientist from Carleton College. “I think money is going to Minnesota because the polling on both sides that we don’t see publicly shows a lot of competition, particularly in the congressional races.”

KSTP ‘Vote 2018’ Election Coverage

A review of outside spending records at opensecrets.org shows a pronounced increase in spending on Minnesota’s U.S. House races. In 2008, just $5.7 million was spent in the state. That figure jumps to $21.9 million in 2014 and now to more than $27 million.

View the complete October 17 post on the KSTP.com website here.

New wave of attack ads shows Democrats on offense, Republicans on defense

Washington (CNN) — The DCCC and the NRCC — each party’s main congressional campaign committee — combined to release more than 20 new ads this week amid the intensifying battle for the House of Representatives, with a range of targets and messages reflecting their opposing strategic priorities in the final month of the midterm elections.

On the Democratic side, the committee is on offense, releasing new attack ads in a slew of races against vulnerable GOP incumbents, and also a key open seat race in New Mexico’s 2nd district. Among those targeted: CO-06, ME-02, VA-10, OH-01, NM-02, NJ-07, IL-13, and KY-06. The DCCC is also going up with their first ads in PA-16, NC-02 and WV-03 this week.

Some of the ads hammer GOP incumbents as out of touch with their constituents, such as the ads against Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-01) — “career politician” — or Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13) — “being in Congress changes people.” It’s a key message in a range of Democratic pick-up opportunities against vulnerable Republican incumbents, particularly those in districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

View the complete September 29 article by David Wright and Aaron Kessler was posted on the CNN website here. (Good charts)

Eyeing the House, Democrats move to hire operatives in 20 GOP-held districts

The following article by Mike DeBonis was posted on the Washington Post website February 2, 2017:

Democrats are moving urgently to harness the wave of grass-roots protests that have greeted President Trump in his first weeks in office to reclaim the House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

As of this week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hiring full-time operatives to do political organizing work in 20 key Republican-held districts — an unusually early investment in House races that do not even have declared candidates yet.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the committee’s chairman, called the move “unprecedented” for Democrats, who need to pick up two dozen GOP-held seats to win the majority. Continue reading “Eyeing the House, Democrats move to hire operatives in 20 GOP-held districts”