Steve Israel Cutting More Of His Terrible Recruits Loose-- Jerry Cannon (MI-01)

Steve Israel picks candidates who disagree with these wild ideas-- and they lose

Back in May, the DCCC announced they had reserved $43.5 million in TV time for endangered incumbents like Blue Dogs John Barrow, Nick Rahall and Collin Peterson and for Steve Israel's mostly wretched, conservative, doomed recruits. One of his worst recruits, Michigan reactionary and anti-Choice nut Jerry Cannon-- the former commandante of the Guantánamo gulag-- was promised two big runs of negative ads against Republican incumbent Dan Benishek: $450,000 on Traverse City broadcast from Sept. 2 to Sept. 22, and $490,000 on Traverse City broadcast from Oct. 14 to Nov. 4. On top of that the ironically-named House Majority PAC controlled by Pelosi reserved another $375,306 for the weeks the DCCC wasn't up on the air (like now), $225,245 in Traverse City and $150,061 in Marquette.

So far the DCCC ran most of the ads from the first flight-- $417,662 worth to be precise, all of it in a negative attack ad against Benishek-- which prompted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to dump $500,572 into the campaign opposing Cannon and bolstering Benishek. And last week the NRCC spent $162,836 on TV time attacking Cannon.

As of July 16, Benishek had raised $1,497,655 and Cannon had raised $647,734. At that time Benishek had $830,703 cash-on-hand to Cannon's $336,663. Cannon was counting on that second DCCC flight of ads-- $490,000-- plus the $375,306 from the House Majority PAC to make him competitive in the final weeks of the campaign. But there were no House Majority PAC ads running this week.

One of Israel's worst and most conservative recruits of the cycle, Cannon hasn't been able to get any traction outside of partisan Democrats. Without motivating independents in this R+5 district, Cannon isn't going anywhere. Roll Call reports that neither Cannon himself, the DCCC nor the House Majority PAC have bought or reserved airtime for the week of Sept. 30.

Cannon plans to be back on the air on Oct. 6, and the DCCC reserved another weeks-long window beginning Oct. 14.

The cancellation occurred several weeks ago, according to a Democratic insider. On Sept. 16, the National Republican Congressional Committee reserved $1 million in the Traverse City market.

Cannon was touted by Democrats as a top recruit. While he built a large war chest for his campaign, he was not among the top tier of his recruitment class’ fundraisers.

The DCCC is flush with cash but is realizing its recruitment was a bust and they're stuck with miserable candidates who can't win and aren't worth spending any money on. Last week they pulled the plug on Aaron Woolf in upstate New York's 21st CD, where right-wing New Dem Bill Owens decided to retire rather than be humiliated at the polls. Israel has given up on this one entirely and is allowing Elise Stefanik to walk into Congress in a district Obama won with 52% against McCain and 52% against Romney. Earlier, Israel told some of his other especially bad recruits-- like, CIA agents Kevin Strouse (PA-08) and Bobby McKenzie (MI-11), John Lewis (MT-AL), Bill Hughes (NJ-02) and Jennifer Garrison (OH-06), who he was rumored to be inappropriately intimate with-- that they are on their own and to expect no DCCC financial help. There have been rumors, unconfirmed, that Israel is also getting squirrelly about Ann Callis (IL-13), Pam Byrnes (MI-07), Amanda Renteria (CA-21) and, predictably, Sean Eldridge (NY-19). EXpect clarification over the next couple of weeks. Many congressional observers feel that Israel will see so many of his recruits underperforming and with virtually zero chance to win, that he'll hold onto the money or spend it on vulnerable incumbents. The House Majority PAC has been shifting significant money to protect unpopular incumbents like New Dem Ami Bera (CA), Blue Dog Nick Rahall (WV), Blue Dog John Barrow (GA), New Dem Elizabeth Esty (CT), and Raul Ruiz (CA)-- as well as large sums into CA-31, a D+5 district that would be a gimme except for the atrocious recruit, Pete Aguilar, one of Israel's biggest blunders.

The House Majority PAC just committed to spend $363,274 there, a district that they had hoped would have been all wrapped up by now. Last week, one of the sleaziest and most corrupt lobbying operations in the country had their PAC, the Credit Union National Association (which is, quite predictably, close with Israel) dump another $149,653 into an I.E. for Aguilar. The DCCC has already wasted $515,278 and so far the House Majority PAC has tossed in $86,823. Neither the NRCC nor any GOP-oriented outside groups have put in any money to help Aguilar's hapless opponent, Paul Chabot. By June 30, Israel had helped Aguilar raise $1,327,366, while Chabot only managed to bring in a meager $164,912. He had $26,342 cash-on-hand to Aguilar's $325,729. But even with an overwhelming registration advantage for the Democrats-- Obama won the district 57-41% in 2008 and the same in 2012 and the latest registration report shows 123,42 registered Dems (40.08%) to 104,673 registered Republicans (33.97%)-- Israel is so nervous that his pitiful recruit will blow the race again that he's likely to waste a million dollars in what would have been a freebie had progressive Eloise Reyes been the candidate, which she would have been without Israel's meddling on behalf of Aguilar. This is Aguilar; would you vote for him?

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