DCCC Loses One Of Their Candidates Already

Erin Cole, the DCCC choice to run against western New York state Trumpist, Chris Collins, withdrew from the race Monday. The DCCC flavor of the cycle is women army veterans, which Cole was, so Ben Ray Lujan and his DC crew of imbeciles probably need a hug this week. NY-27 is a hellish district stretching from the suburbs east of Buffalo to the suburbs west and south of Rochester. Last year the PVI was R+8 (easily the worst in the state)and it's even worse this year-- R+11!). Obama lost both times and last year Señor Trumpanzee beat Hillary 59.7% to 35.2%, the only district in the state where she failed to break 40%.

Collins' Democratic opponent last year, Diana Kastenbaum, was ignored by the DCCC and only managed 107,832 votes (32.8%) against Collins' 220,885 (67.2%). He spent $582,459 and she didn't raise the $5,000 that would have required an FEC report. Cole was the only declared candidate this cycle.

Cole didn't return a phone call seeking comment. Other Democratic sources said was she frustrated with fundraising and other challenges that often trouble first-time political candidates.

"What I'm gathering is that jumping in the deep end can be difficult for first-time candidates, and she just concluded that the race was not for her," said Judith Hunter, the Livingston County Democratic chair who also chairs  Turn 27 Blue, a coalition of county Democratic leaders and progressive activists who've come together to try to defeat Collins, a Clarence Republican.

...While Cole's departure from the race might surprise those outside Democratic circles, she was by no means guaranteed to get the party's nomination to challenge Collins.

East Aurora resident Sean Bunny, an Erie County assistant district attorney, is also considering a race against Collins, as are other Democrats, said Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner.

"We've always believed there would be multiple candidates taking the temperature of the electorate out there," Zellner said.

A political operative who has worked in the district frequently told me that the DCCC (and EMILY's List) puts unrealistic fundraising goals on candidates and then constantly beats up candidates to reach them, leaving them virtually no time for messaging or any kind of grassroots campaign. "The DCCC has been a mess for a decade but it's gotten much worse with the really weak and chairman Pelosi put in for last cycle and this. He's a boob and lets a pretty lame staff run the show... [Most] candidates hate them with a passion... Cole is probably celebrating getting away from them." He suggested I take a look at a race right across the country-- in Tucson, Arizona, where the DCCC has recruited a very conservative carpetbagger, New Dem Ann Kirkpatrick, who is making a mess of a very winnable race. "She's a waste of time but they moved her down south and the Democrats in the area are laughing at her and at them."

He told me about the AZ-02 Democratic candidates forum in Sierra Vista at Cochise College in the reddest part of the district, Cochise county on the Mexican border. Kirkpatrick opened her remarks by thanking "Coconino Community College" for hosting the event. Coconino County (Flagstaff) is where she lived until a few weeks ago when the DCCC moved her down to Tucson to run against Martha McSally. It was the first forum in her new district and her idiotic flub occurred within 30 seconds of her opening her mouth. One of the other candidates should start bringing a map of the district to future debates/forums in case she requires a reference.

"Two of the other Dems on the stage, Mary and Bruce," he told me, "swiveled their heads around so fast they could have incurred whiplash injuries! The Cochise College students said it all... they seemed really upset... The internal polling I've seen from one of the campaigns has Matt Heinz leading her in the primary anyway. People see her as an interloper from outside sent by the DCCC which hasn't helped them in the past... Democrats polled were not happy that she opposed the Assault weapons ban and that she ducked the vote on Dream Act in 2010 and wouldn't publicly oppose SB1070. And that don't like that she opposed EPA clean energy standards, always sides with Wall Street in opposing consumer financial protections and supports destruction of sacred tribal land to benefit foreign mining interests. She'll lose but the DCCC will pour resources into her anyway; it's what they do."

"The DCCC," he said, "kept pestering Cole to raise $350,000 each quarter and that's next to impossible for a Democrat in that district unless you want to flat out sell yourself to Wall Street, which is exactly what party leaders expect 'their' candidates to do-- and willingly, with a smile on their faces. Kirkpatrick is comfortable doing they. It's what she's done for her whole career. But it doesn't endear candidates to the base. She was bitter because even if she raised the $350,000 she said the DCCC wouldn't guarantee her any financial support anyway."