With The DCCC Slapped Down, Syracuse Is Coming Home To The Democrats In November

Dana Balter beat the DCCC-- now she's on track to beating John Katko

I've been saying it for years-- Cook is a good resource, the day after the election. Their ratings are a joke... way behind reality on the ground. If they say a race is a toss up, it usually means it's in the bag for the challenger. If they claim a race is leaning Republican, it means, it's a toss up. Cook has rated NY-24 (Syracuse), "likely Republican." That's insane. Once the progressive, non-DCCC candidate, Dana Balter, beat the status quo shill the DCCC was pushing, the race should have been rated a toss up.

The incumbent, Republican John Katko, tries to paint himself as a "moderate" or a "Mainstream conservative." By the standards of his district, he isn't. He's another Trump enabling rubber stamp. On the Trump-affinity scoreboard FiveThirtyEight keeps updating, Katko ranks an 89.9%-- he just rubberstamps the whole Trump platform, including Trump's anti-healthcare agenda and anti-environment agenda. Based on the political realities of the district, FiveThirtyEight predicted Katko's score would be a 60.0%, not an 89.9%. In 2008 Obama beat McCain 56-42% here and then beat Romney 57-41%. Even Hillary won-- 48.9% to 45.3%. The PVI is D+3 and the only reason there's a Republican incumbent is because the DCCC keeps shoving terrible conservatives down the throats of the voters. They tried it again this cycle and the voters ran them out of town on a rail.

Working against the will of the local Democrats, the DCCC added Juanita Perez Williams to their Red-to-Blue page and then worked against Dana Balter. The result:

• Dana Balter- 13,892 (62.62%)
• Juanita Perez Williams- 8,291 (37.38%)

Had Williams won the primary, Cook would have been correct-- lean Republican. But with the DCCC finally unable to slip another Republican-lite candidate into the race, there's no reason to imagine Balter will replace Katko. Of course, the DCCC pouted and fumed but has finally come around to realize they have to get on the bandwagon and help, even if they hate progressives. And a new poll by PPP released yesterday bears that out. Look at this-- even the DCCC can understand these numbers... and rushed to add Balter to their Red-to-Blue list.

Healthy hatred for Trump and Trumpism, Katko's negative job performance ratings, opposition to the Republican agenda... all add up to one thing: Balter, who is just getting known to the general election voters, is already ahead 47-43%. And once pollsters told voters more about how Katko actually voted on specific pieces of legislation, Balter goes up to 48% and he sinks to 42%. Had the DCCC not interfered in primaries around the country, the Democrats would be looking at 70 House flips, not 40.

DCCC And The Art Of Losing Congressional Seats-- Let's Look Towards Syracuse, NY

The DCCC has been driving state and county Democratic Party officers crazy with their interference, often on behalf of corrupt conservative, candidates far to the right of local Democrats, self-funders and “ex”-Republicans. All over the country I hear party officials telling me the DCCC tactics are frustrating the Democratic grassroots and tamping down enthusiasm. “The DCCC is making themselves a target of widespread hatred across the state,” one county chairman told me. “Party activists are always telling me they are just as bad as the Republicans… Democratic voters have switched to unaffiliated entirely because of the DCCC… I thought we were going to win because of the enthusiasm gap. Are they trying to figure out how to kill that now?”

Central New York in another example of the DCCC inflicting their losing strategies on local parties again-- and party chairs are finally denouncing them.

New York’s 24th congressional district (Syracuse) is a blue district with a D+3 PVI. Obama beat McCain 56-42% and beat Romney 57-41%. Even Hillary managed to eke out a win-- 49% to 45%. So why is the congressman a Republican? Easy-- the DCCC keeps interfering and putting in crap Republican-lite candidates who don’t inspire enthusiasm from Democrats. And, because there are no brains or institutional memory at the DCCC, they’re doing it again this year.

The four county Democratic chairs in the 24th Congressional District are speaking out against a national party committee after the surprise entry of Juanita Perez Williams into the race.

The chairs released a joint statement Wednesday criticizing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for "meddling" in the 24th district race. The comments are in response to the DCCC's apparent effort to get Perez Williams, who ran unsuccessfully for Syracuse mayor last year, on the Democratic congressional primary ballot.

"The actions in NY-24 are unfortunately just the latest example of the DCCC not taking into account the work happening at the grassroots this year," the chairs wrote. "From leaders in the Indivisible movement to party and elected officials, we stand united behind our designated nominee, Dana Balter, and against D.C. meddling that has hampered far too many races thus far.

"We call on DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan and all staff involved to speak to the people doing the work on the ground and focus our collective energy and resources, like we have been for over a year, in unseating Trump-Ryan Republicans like John Katko."

Despite criticism from progressives and local Democratic officials, the DCCC has been active in primaries this year. In one Texas congressional primary, the DCCC took the unusual step of releasing opposition research on a Democratic candidate.

Before Perez Williams' opted to run for Congress, there was the possibility of a primary in the 24th district. Balter, D-Syracuse, won the Democratic designation in February, but another candidate-- Bill Bass of Syracuse-- decided he would remain in the race and force a primary.

Until this week, Balter and Bass were the only Democratic candidates seeking a spot on the ballot. With the deadline approaching to file petitions to the state Board of Elections, there was a surprise entrant: Perez Williams, who initially announced in January that she would not run for Congress this year. The DCCC had recruited Perez Williams to run, but she declined.

Perez Williams reportedly informed at least one local Democratic Party leader of her plans Tuesday, but hasn't made a formal announcement. She has a week to collect 1,250 signatures and submit them to the state Board of Elections. That's the minimum number of valid signatures needed to qualify for the June 26 primary ballot.

The deadline to file petitions is Thursday, April 12.

Collecting the necessary number of signatures is a considerable undertaking for any candidate, especially one without the party's support and no campaign infrastructure. But a central New York Democratic source said the DCCC is helping Perez Williams secure a spot on the primary ballot in June.

The DCCC declined to comment on Perez Williams' candidacy.

Chris Martin, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, responded to reports of the DCCC's involvement in the 24th district.

"The clock's ticking," Martin said. "How long does Dana Balter have until the DCCC drops another opposition research book on one of their own candidates?"

The DCCC's activities upset central New York activists, many of whom have been involved in rallies and other actions to oppose the Trump agenda.

Jonah Minkoff-Zern, a member of the Central New York Solidarity Coalition, lauded Balter and Perez Williams. He supported Perez Williams for Syracuse mayor in 2017 and is backing Balter in the congressional race.

Balter held a campaign fundraiser last week. Perez Williams was in attendance, Minkoff-Zern said.

Minkoff-Zern believes Balter is the best candidate to challenge Katko, R-Camillus, in the 24th district race.

"She didn't have a lot of money behind her. She didn't have a family name behind her. What she has is that she is an impressive person and a brilliant candidate who will do very well to represent us in Washington," Minkoff-Zern said. "And I don't think that it was right for the DCCC to come in and think that they know better than the people of central New York and try to meddle with that."

Even if Perez Williams is successful and can secure a spot on the primary ballot, Balter is still the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

Balter has been endorsed by the party committees and is supported by several grassroots groups. She picked up two more endorsements Tuesday from the Indivisible Project, a national anti-Trump group, and the Syracuse University College Democrats.

Nick Paprocki, Balter's campaign manager, said the Democratic candidate is focused on defeating Katko in November.

"John Katko puts the interests of his party leadership and his corporate donors ahead of the interests of his constituents. And central New Yorkers deserve better; they deserve a representative who will show up, listen and put the people of the 24th district first," Paprocki said. "Dana Balter is that representative."

The DCCC Has A Pattern Of Bad Behavior In Syracuse-- One That Loses The Seat... And Here They Go Again

Republican John Katko isn't worried-- DCCC bungling keeps him in his blue seat

Why is Republican John Katko, the congressman in NY-24-- the Syracuse-based district that includes all of Onondaga County and Syracuse plus all of Cayuga County plus parts of Oswego and Wayne counties. The PVI was D+5 in 2015 and D+3 now. Obama won the district both times he ran, 56-42 against McCain and 57-41% against Romney. Even Hillary's pathetic lesser-of-two-evils campaign managed to beat Trump 48.9% to 45.3% but it's worth noting that in the primary, Bernie beat her in 3 of the 4 counties in the district:

• Cayuga- 52.7% to 47.3%
• Onondaga- Hillary won 53.0% to 47.0%
• Oswego- 55.8% to 44.2%
• Wayne- 55.5% to 44.5%

So, again, why is there a Republican incumbent? Let's go back in history. Moderate Republican Sherwood Boehlert was elected in 1982 and served until he retired in 2006, which was a Democratic wave election. Rahm Emanuel made sure a right-wing Blue Dog, Michael Arcuri, got the Democratic nomination. Arcuri was swept into office by the wave (49.8% to 43.1%) but, after running up a shitty GOP-lite record, he was defeated-- predictably-- in the following midterm, 51.2% to 45.3%, when Democrats stayed away from the polls allowing right-wing lunatic Ann Marie Buerkle to beat another DCCC special, New Dem Dan Maffei and then lost to him two years later in 2014 Katko beat Maffei 58.2% to 39.5% after the DCCC puked him up again. And in 2016 the DCCC forced a typically uninspiring EMILY's List nothing into the race (over Berniecrat Eric Kingson)... and that's why Katko is the incumbent. As we mentioned the other day, everyone in the district is furious that the DCCC is up to the old tricks that could help the GOP maintain control with another worthless conservative, Juanita Perez Williams over the local fave, Dana Balter.

The four county Democratic chairs in the 24th Congressional District are speaking out against a national party committee after the surprise entry of Juanita Perez Williams into the race.

The chairs released a joint statement Wednesday criticizing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for "meddling" in the 24th district race. The comments are in response to the DCCC's apparent effort to get Perez Williams, who ran unsuccessfully for Syracuse mayor last year, on the Democratic congressional primary ballot.

"The actions in NY-24 are unfortunately just the latest example of the DCCC not taking into account the work happening at the grassroots this year," the chairs wrote. "From leaders in the Indivisible movement to party and elected officials, we stand united behind our designated nominee, Dana Balter, and against D.C. meddling that has hampered far too many races thus far.

"We call on DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan and all staff involved to speak to the people doing the work on the ground and focus our collective energy and resources, like we have been for over a year, in unseating Trump-Ryan Republicans like John Katko."

The disgusting DCCC, responsible for the loss of dozens and dozens of seats over the last decade, gave the 4 county chairs the finger. And this morning the local press came down on Lujan and his inept staff of determined losers again.

A large collection of activists, including members of the Indivisible movement in central New York, reiterated its support for Dana Balter and questioned why the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee would intervene in the primary election.

The grassroots groups released a four-paragraph statement in response to Juanita Perez Williams' entry into the 24th Congressional District race and reports that the DCCC, the House Democrats' campaign arm, is assisting Perez Williams with her attempt to qualify for the June 26 primary ballot.

The DCCC's involvement comes at a pivotal point in the campaign. Candidates are facing a Thursday deadline to submit at least 1,250 valid signatures to qualify for the Democratic primary.

Balter, D-Syracuse, has been a candidate for Congress for seven months and won the Democratic designation from the four county committees in February. Two of her potential primary opponents, Scott Comegys and Anne Messenger, dropped out after the designation process. A third, Bill Bass, remained in the race but is now planning to run as an independent.

Last week, Perez Williams entered the race. She told The Citizen Thursday night that it was her decision to run for Congress and believes she is the best candidate to challenge U.S. Rep. John Katko, a two-term Republican.

The statement from members of central New York progressive groups doesn't mention Perez Williams. But they do question why the DCCC would intervene, especially this late in the process.

"Right now, they are paying people to pass petitions to get their handpicked candidate on the ballot," the activists wrote. "The DCCC is imposing its priorities and decisions on local residents. Instead of fostering a collaborative relationship with grassroots organizations, they are using their funds to erase our work."

The DCCC hasn't commented on its role in the 24th district race or its apparent support for Perez Williams' campaign.

The groups supporting Balter are familiar with her because of her work as an activist in the region. Before launching her congressional bid, she was a prominent member of the Central New York Solidarity Coalition, a group that formed after the 2016 election to oppose President Donald Trump's agenda.

There were "extensive endorsement processes," the grassroots groups said, to support a candidate in the 24th Congressional District race. They added that Balter is their "unanimous choice."

National Democrats hope for a "blue wave" in November. The party believes that they can at least win back the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. To regain the House majority, they must win in districts like the 24th.

But party infighting, at least in the 24th district, could jeopardize the Democrats' chances of winning in November.

"The DCCC has promised to focus on grassroots strength and listen to the people who live in districts," the coalition of activists wrote. "We call on the DCCC to honor their commitments, stop their activities immediately and instead join all of us in our support of Dana Balter."

In Austin, Nancy Pelosi, who was suffering another bout of increasingly reoccurring senility, announced that if the DCCC doesn't get the crap conservative candidates it wants, it won't help the Democrats win in November. Chew on that.

Two Blue America Candidates Speak Out On Healthcare: Dana Balter And Tom Guild

The pandemic has forced progressive candidates to change their means of reaching voters. David Wasserman, writing yesterday for the Cook Report, noted "As the COVID-19 outbreak forces more states to delay spring primary and runoff dates, it's had another, more subtle effect: it's all but frozen the House recruitment process in place and curtailed fundraising, benefiting incumbents and candidates who had already built large war chests and disadvantaging recent entrants." It's especially helpful to conservatives-- on both sides of the aisle. Dana Balter is battling Trump boot-licker John Katko, who had already raised $1,545,336 by the December 31 FEC reporting deadline. Balter's haul-- before the pandemic struck-- was $519,225. Similarly, Oklahoma City Blue Dog Kendra Horn-- a conservative who votes with Trump more than nearly any Democrat in Congress-- had raised $2,277,970 both the end of the quarter and before her progressive primary challenger, Tom Guild jumped into the race.

This week, both Balter and Guild worked to get their core messages on healthcare out. Guild sent an e-mail to Oklahoma City voters. "In this time of national crisis," be began, "we must achieve a degree of isolation, interrupted by an occasional trip to the grocery store, to the pharmacy, and to fill up our vehicles with gas. We do our best to care for others at a distance by contributing to charities and via social media. During this stark and sober time let us reflect on how to improve America as we eventually resume some semblance of normalcy. This emergency is partially a result of a health care system, that really isn’t an integrated system, but a patchwork of institutions and industries focused on maximizing profits. As we transition to universal healthcare in America via Medicare for All, we will put in place an integrated system that is not profit-driven but focused on the health and wellbeing of every American. Deductibles and co-pays will be phased out and the per capita spending for healthcare will very likely be reduced." He continued:

“A government-run, single-payer system may be run with just enough resources for normal times... but unlike the patchwork, for-profit ‘system’ we have, a publicly run system can be ramped up much more quickly to meet crises such as this one.” (Paul Crist)

We face the current crisis woefully unprepared to meet the tremendous challenge before us. We can learn from this experience and redouble our efforts to not be placed in this situation again. As the only candidate for Congress in Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District embracing universal health care coverage by adopting MFA, it makes a difference which candidate we nominate and that we elect to represent our district.

Stay safe. Keep your distance. Keep the faith. Take care of yourself and others.

If you would like to financially support our effort to achieve systemic and meaningful change for the future you can do that [by clicking on the Medicare-For-All thermometer on the right].


Vote like your life and health and that of your fellow Americans is at stake.

Yours in the cause,

Tom Guild

Balter was more fortunate, as the Syracuse Post Standard decided to publish her commentary with its message to NY-24 voters and it was able to reach far more voters and potential contributors.

We’re experiencing a crisis unlike anything in our living memory; the toll on our health, lives, and economy will be immense. We all need to do our part to keep our communities safe and we need our leaders to step up and take action to limit the pandemic’s impact.

I have talked with countless people across central and western New York whose lives are being turned upside down. There was the friend who found an elderly couple in their car in the grocery store parking lot, crying because they needed food but terrified to go inside and be exposed to COVID-19. Then there was the owner of a 45-year-old family business who’s afraid it might not open again. Then there was the man recently diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer for whom the world is now unimaginably dangerous. These heartbreaking stories make clear that we must do everything we can to curb the effects of this crisis.

As individuals, we need to take social distancing seriously and closely follow expert guidelines from the CDC. Thankfully, as New Yorkers we have Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s steady leadership. His navigation of this near-impossible situation is extraordinary and will save lives and livelihoods. He exemplifies what we need from our leaders in this moment: calm, confidence and competence.

The governor’s example is made all the more remarkable by a complete absence of leadership from President Donald Trump. His failure to lead us through this crisis is staggering. At every stage, his response has made the situation far worse than it needs to be.

Trump ignored early warnings from his own intelligence agencies that the COVID-19 pandemic was coming. Despite knowing how bad this situation would get, for months he minimized the threat to the public and refused to take necessary action to prepare for the impending danger. The president has continued to downplay the seriousness of this crisis, last Tuesday suggesting that things will be back to normal in a matter of a couple of weeks while health experts have agreed that this will take months to address. Most disturbing is that he actively spreads misinformation about COVID-19, which is incredibly dangerous.

The idea that this is the leadership this country needs is not only absurd, it’s dangerous. And yet, this is the man Rep. John Katko endorses. This is the man John Katko insists has made us better off. This is the man John Katko tells us is the leader we need for another four years.

Trump’s calling himself a wartime president. Would a wartime president leave generals without stocked bases? While Trump dithers, hospital administrators and doctors, left without ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE), are facing unimaginable ethical decisions about whom they should save and whom they should let die. Absurd. Would a wartime president send soldiers into battle without helmets and body armor? While Trump dithers, we are leaving our front-line healthcare workers unprotected without PPE. So we are sewing face masks at home to donate to hospitals and clinics and nurses are wearing garbage bags because “it’s better than nothing.” Dangerous.

Government must prioritize the health and safety of our people. The president should immediately use the Defense Production Act to direct companies to manufacture ventilators and PPE and distribute that equipment. This is necessary to address two dire circumstances: 1. there isn’t an adequate supply of this vital equipment, and 2. currently states are competing with each other for access to the scarce supplies available.

Thankfully, Congress has turned its attention to addressing the economic fallout of this public health crisis. The response must include substantial cash assistance to individuals and families. We have to ensure speedy arrival of funds and recognize that a one-time payment is unlikely to be enough. We should institute a freeze on all mortgage payments, rent, debt collection, and student loan payments without interest or penalty. We must give massive support to small businesses to help them survive the weeks and months ahead. We do not need to bail out giant corporations; they have huge profits and bankruptcy protections that will see them through. Any assistance that is given to corporations must be contingent on: no bonuses or dividends for the duration of the loan; no stock buybacks; no lay-offs; honoring of collective bargaining agreements, a $15 minimum wage.

We’re dealing with the biggest public health crisis we’ve seen in a century and the resulting economic crisis. Both have been made worse by a stunning failure of leadership by the president, whom John Katko endorses. We have to rise above that failure in leadership. And we can. We have a long way to go but if we come together, we will get through this crisis. We all know that we are better than Donald Trump and now is the time to prove it.

Wendell Potter, was formerly vice-president for corporate communications at Cigna, a crooked insurance outfit. Today he's president of Business for Medicare for All. Yesterday The Guardian published a chilling piece he wrote, Millions of Americans are about to lose their health insurance in a pandemic. "The tragic effects of our battle with the novel coronavirus are seemingly endless. But arguably the most mind-blowing is this: the very pandemic that threatens to infect and kill millions is simultaneously causing many to also lose their health coverage at their gravest time of need." And he explained how and why:

Here’s how: the virus has caused a public health crisis so severe that people have been forced to stay home, causing businesses to shutter and lay off workers. And with roughly half of Americans getting their health insurance from their employer, these layoffs mean not only losing their income but also their medical coverage. In other words, just as our need for medical care skyrockets in the face of a global pandemic, fewer will have health insurance or be able to afford it. According to one recent report, the cost of treatment for Covid-19 can run around $35,000. As the patient in the report exclaimed: “I was pretty sticker-shocked. I personally don’t know anybody who has that kind of money.”

So, how did we get to such a dire place? Many will sadly lose their jobs over the coming weeks-- with one estimate projecting as many as 30%. And as they do, Americans are about to learn something horrifying: how irrational and irresponsible it is for so many to be dependent on employers for health insurance. Take it from me. I’m a former health insurance executive who once profited from this system. It’s time for it to stop.

America needs to finally get out of the business of linking health coverage to job status. Even in better times, this arrangement was a bad idea from a health perspective. Most Americans whose families depend on their employers for coverage are just a layoff away from being uninsured. And now, when many businesses are shutting down and considering layoffs, it’s a public health disaster. Across the country we’re seeing reports of layoffs in almost all industries. As we approach a global recession, some analysts suggest that a million or more US workers will lose their jobs in April alone. Consider what this means for health care in this country.

We’ve seen this before. During the last big recession, researchers at Cornell University found that 9.3 million Americans lost their health insurance between 2007 and 2009. Why? As people lost work, their employer-provided insurance went away. During this time, roughly six in 10 Americans who lost their jobs became uninsured. And this problem compounds itself. If the reason you lost your health insurance is that you no longer have steady employment, how are you now going to be able to afford monthly premiums for some other private health care plan? This problem becomes particularly acute when you consider that premiums for health plans sold on exchanges are projected to soar, as well, due to “unexpected Covid-19 costs.”

It’s worth noting that even in good times, the employer-based model fails to cover enough of us, with the number of Americans covered through an employer steadily dropping in general. Since 1999, the percentage of those with job-based coverage has declined by nine points. And it most certainly will drop like a rock in the coming weeks and months.

It’s now clear that this system cannot handle our current reality. With so many Americans sadly on the verge of unemployment, the number that will lose health coverage will be crushing. As we rebuild our country’s economic base and reimagine the roles various industries play in our new future, we must also begin a difficult conversation about health care. If we’re dependent on jobs in order to have it, a lot of us will be left out in the cold. And at a time in our nation’s history where more will need quality care than ever before, the human cost will simply be too much to bear.

Reminder: the men and women you'll find by clicking on the ActBlue thermometer above will take you to a list of candidates-- including but not limited to Tom Guild and Dana Balter-- campaigning on Medicare-for-All.

Dana Balter and Tom Guild

How The DCCC Plans To Turn The House Democratic Caucus Over To The Blue Dogs And New Dems And Destoy The Progressive Movement

There are 84 candidates on the DCCC's Red to Blue list, 15 Blue Dogs, 60 New Dems and 19 that are not from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. The bolded candidates have been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which doesn't mean much any longer since Mark Pocan seems to think it's cool to endorse New Dems. These are all the DCCC's Red-to-Blue candidates:

• Clarke Tucker (Blue Dog/New Dem- AR-02)
• Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem- AZ-02)
• Jessica Morse (New Dem- CA-04)
• Josh Harder (New Dem- CA-10)
• T.J. Cox (New Dem- CA-21)
• Katie Hill (New Dem- CA-25)
• Gil Cisneros (New Dem- CA-39)
• Katie Porter (New Dem- CA-45)
• Harley Rouda (New Dem- CA-48)
• Mike Levin (CA-49)
• Jason Crow (New Dem- CO-06)
• Jahana Hayes (New Dem- CT-05)
• Nancy Soderberg (New Dem- FL-06)
• Kristen Carlson (FL-15)
• David Shapiro (New Dem- FL-16)
• Lauren Baer (New Dem- FL-18)
• Mary Barzee Flores (FL-25)
• Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (New Dem- FL-26)
• Lucy McBath (GA-06)
• Carolyn Bourdeaux (New Dem- GA-07)
• Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)
• Cindy Axne (New Dem- IA-03)
• Sean Casten (New Dem- IL-06)
• Brendan Kelly (Blue Dog/New Dem- IL-12)
• Betsy Londrigan (New Dem- IL-13)
• Lauren Underwood (New Dem- IL-14)
• Liz Watson (IN-09)
• Paul Davis (Blue Dog/New Dem- KS-02)
• Sharice Davids (New Dem- KS-03)
• Amy McGrath (KY-06)
• Jared Golden (ME-02)
• Matt Longjohn (MI-06)
• Gretchen Driskell (Blue Dog- MI-07)
• Elissa Slotkin (New Dem- MI-08)
• Haley Stevens (New Dem- MI-11)
• Dan Feehan (New Dem- MN-01)
• Angie Craig (New Dem- MN-02)
• Dean Phillips (New Dem- MN03)
• Joe Radinovich (MN-08)
• Cort VanOstran (New Dem- MO-02)
• Kathleen Williams (MT-AL)
• Linda Coleman (NC-02)
• Dan McCready (Blue Dog/New Dem- NC-09)
• Kathy Manning (Blue Dog/New Dem- NC-13)
• Kara Eastman (NE-02)
• Chris Pappas (New Dem- NH-01)
• Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog/New Dem- NJ-02)
• Andy Kim (NJ-03)
• Tom Malinowski (New Dem- NJ-07)
• Mike Sherrill (Blue Dog/New Dem- NJ-11)
• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog/New Dem- NM-02)
• Susie Lee (New Dem- NV-3)
• Steve Horsford (New Dem- NV-04)
• Perry Gershon (New Dem- NY-01)
• Max Rose (Blue Dog/New Dem- NY-11)
• Antonio Delgado (New Dem- NY-19)
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog/New Dem- NY-22)
• Dana Balter (NY-24)
• Aftab Pureval (New Dem- OH-01)
• Ken Harbaugh (New Dem- OH-07)
• Danny O'Connor (New Dem- OH-12)
• Betsy Rader (New Dem- OH-14)
• Scott Wallace (PA-01)
• Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA-06)
• Susan Wild (New Dem- PA-07)
• George Scott (Blue Dog- PA-10)
• Ron DiNicola (Blue Dog/New Dem- PA-16)
• Joe Cunningham (New Dem- SC-01)
• Todd Litton (TX-02)
• Lizzie Fletcher (New Dem- TX-07)
• Joseph Kopser (New Dem- TX-21)
• Gina Ortiz Jones (New Dem- TX-23)
• MJ Hegar (Blue Dog- TX-31)
• Colin Allred (New Dem- TX-32)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog/New Dem- UT-04)
• Elaine Luria (New Dem- VA-02)
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog/New Dem-VA-07)
• Jennifer Wexton (New Dem- VA-10)
• Carolyn Long (New Dem- WA-03)
• Lisa Brown (New Dem- WA-05)
• Kim Schrier (New Dem- WA-08)
• Randy Bryce (WI-01)
• Dan Kohl (New Dem- WI-06)
• Richard Ojeda (WV-03)

But not all these Red to Blue candidates are getting money from the DCCC and Pelosi's House Majority PAC. Progressive favorites and working class candidates like Randy Bryce and Kara Eastman, of course gets nothing at all from a Democratic Party elite that loathes and fears the working class. A multimillionaire like Pelosi looks at a guy like Randy Bryce in his workboots, drinking a beer instead of a martini and shudders at the thought of him crashing her party. She looks at him and thinks he must be her plummer. The big money goes to the New Dems and Blue Dogs the Democratic Party elites are hoping to stock the party up withs as to change it to a business friendly party where careerism and corruption are the new norm and serving the needs of working families as remote as it is for the GOP.

There are still millions more to spend, but here are the campaigns that have gotten the biggest boost from the DCCC and the House Majority PAC (which claim they don't coordinate spending but, of course completely coordinate spending just as much as the NRCC and Ryan's SuperPAC do). So let's rearrange that list in order of the biggest spending:

• Kim Schrier (New Dem- WA-08)- $3,652,607
• Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (New Dem- FL-26)- $2,607222
• Katie Hill (New Dem- CA-25)- $2,380,486
• Jason Crow (New Dem- CO-06)- $2,357,848
• Susie Lee (New Dem- NV-3)- $2,360,099
• Jennifer Wexton (New Dem- VA-10)- $2,314,842
• Paul Davis (Blue Dog/New Dem- KS-02)- $2,244,847
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog/New Dem- NY-22)- $2,191,396
• Sean Casten (New Dem- IL-06)- $2,085,753
• Andy Kim (NJ-03)- $2,069,637
• Tom Malinowski (New Dem- NJ-07)- $2,061,936
• Cindy Axne (New Dem- IA-03)- $2,035,081
• Antonio Delgado (New Dem- NY-19)- $1,945,074
• Josh Harder (New Dem- CA-10)- $1,941,782
• Dan Feehan (New Dem- MN-01)- $1,840,497
• Lizzie Fletcher (New Dem- TX-07)- $1,602,770
• Katie Porter (New Dem- CA-45)- $1,819,535
• Steve Horsford (New Dem- NV-04)- $1,795,066
• Elissa Slotkin (New Dem- MI-08)- $1,616,563
• Harley Rouda (New Dem- CA-48)- $1,603,134
• Elaine Luria (New Dem- VA-02)- $1,322,077
• Joe Radinovich (MN-08)- $1,265,223
• Sharice Davids (New Dem- KS-03)- $1,176,587
• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog/New Dem- NM-02)- $1,133,448
• Colin Allred (New Dem- TX-32)- $1,101,461
• Jared Golden (ME-02)- $1,084,870
• Angie Craig (New Dem- MN-02)- $1,081,854
• Amy McGrath (KY-06)- $1,029,399
• Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem- AZ-02)- $1,015,280
• Susan Wild (New Dem- PA-07)- $1,001,118
• Dean Phillips (New Dem- MN03)- $902,034
• Gil Cisneros (New Dem- CA-39)- $788,102
• Haley Stevens (New Dem- MI-11)- $783,105
• Betsy Londrigan (New Dem- IL-13)- $782,547
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog/New Dem-VA-07)- $736,806
• Aftab Pureval (New Dem- OH-01)- $675,378
• Dan McCready (Blue Dog/New Dem- NC-09)- $535,733
• Brendan Kelly (Blue Dog/New Dem- IL-12)- $482,998
• Ron DiNicola (Blue Dog/New Dem- PA-16)- $461,063

• Clarke Tucker (Blue Dog/New Dem- AR-02)- $456,326
• Richard Ojeda (WV-03)- $434,375
• Linda Coleman (NC-02)- $379,002
• Mike Sherrill (Blue Dog/New Dem- NJ-11)- $327,370
• Dana Balter (NY-24)- $320,431
• George Scott (Blue Dog- PA-10)- $231,558
• Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)- $197,238
• Betsy Londrigan (New Dem- IL-13)- $159,031
• Scott Wallace (PA-01)- $142,380

Notice that Andy Kim is the only candidate who isn't from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party who has had significant money spent on his campaign. He, Katie Porter, Jared Golden and Dana Balter are the only progressives on the DCCC's list of candidates to spend money on (and Dana isn't getting nearly enough to impact her race). The rest of the Red-to-Blue candidates got either nothing at all... or enough money for a nice pizza for the volunteers. The Democratic Party was once a progressive party. That appears to have ended, ironically, with Pelosi as party leader.

Do You Believe In Making Good Trouble?

 

Congress needs more members like these 4, not more Blue Dogs and New Dems

Most candidates being significantly backed (over a million dollars) by the DCCC are New Dems and Blue Dogs from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. It's heartbreaking because these people will block every piece of systemic reform needed by the country and play palsy-walsy with the Republicans through corrupted organizations like Third Way and the Problem Solvers.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus has endorsed 17 candidates, 8 of who do not have serious opposition and won their races, in effect, on primary day. The bolded names are the candidates who will definitely be members of Congress in January:

• Georgette Gomez (CA)
• Nikema Williams (GA)
• Kai Kahele (HI)
• Marie Newman (IL)
• J.D. Scholten (IA)
• Jon Hoadley (MI)
• Cori Bush (MO)
• Teresa Fernandez (NM)
• Ritchie Torres (NY
• Jamaal Bowman (NY)
• Mondaire Jones (NY)
• Dana Balter (NY)
• Kara Eastman (NE)
• Mike Siegel (TX)
• Candace Valenzuela (TX)
• Julie Oliver (TX)
• Beth Doglio (WA)

The DCCC has spent significant money on Dana Balter, Kara Eastman and Candace Valenzuela (who, I'm afraid to say, isn't really campaigning as a progressive). One candidate told me, "The DCCC has been stringing me along for 3 years, giving me goals, making me send them weekly call time report, making me jump through crazy hoops-- and now a week out… they haven't come through for me at all. Even though they have $100 million cash on hand. They can go to hell." You wouldn't believe how many candidates have told me the exact same thing.

I'd like to share an e-mail Bernie sent out yesterday. As usual, Bernie makes some important points-- "Now is not the time for thinking small. Now IS the time for millions of working families to come together, to revitalize American democracy, to end the collapse of the middle class, and to make certain our children and grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security, and joy-- and that once again makes the United States the moral leader in the world. No more corporate elites and lobbyists calling the tunes." Please read the whole thing and consider contributing to the candidates you're find by clicking on the thermometer-- progressive stalwarts who have been abandoned by DCCC Chair Blue Dog Cheri Bustos because they are "too progressive."

We find ourselves in a moment in history in which we face unprecedented crises:

We are facing the worst pandemic in 100 years which has already claimed the lives of more than 220,000 230,000 Americans.

We are in the middle of a severe economic downturn which has left millions unemployed, while we now experience more wealth and income inequality than at any time since the 1920s.

We are facing the existential reality of climate change which, as we speak, is burning up the West and threatening the entire planet.

We continue to experience systemic racism, a broken criminal justice system and widespread police brutality against minority communities.

We are dealing with a grossly immoral immigration system which has divided families and leaves millions of undocumented immigrants terrified about the future.

And, in the midst of all that and more, we have a president who does not believe in the rule of law and is more concerned about his own wealth and power than the needs of the American people.

So we have eight days to do everything we can to evict Donald Trump from the White House and to elect Joe Biden. What all of us do in these next eight days, in this very close election, will be remembered throughout history.

But I must tell you that defeating Trump is not the end of our work. It is only the first, and very important, step forward to transforming our country and creating a government and economy that works for all, not the few. In other words, by defeating Trump and electing a Democratic Senate, we can stop being on the defensive every day and start moving forward with an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working people of our country.

But one thing is very clear to me. Even with a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress, we will not successfully address the many crises that we face if we return to the same old, same old type of politics.

No More Business As Usual.

The day after Joe becomes president, we have got to begin mobilizing the American people around the Justice Agenda: economic justice, political justice, racial justice, social justice and environmental justice.

Now is not the time for thinking small. Now IS the time for millions of working families to come together, to revitalize American democracy, to end the collapse of the middle class, and to make certain our children and grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security, and joy-- and that once again makes the United States the moral leader in the world.

No more corporate elites and lobbyists calling the tunes.

Now is the time for the working families of this country to be heard, and for their agenda to be implemented.

So we have a lot to do over these next eight days, sisters and brothers. But then our work begins again-- the work of bringing our people together and enacting an agenda that works for all Americans and not just the wealthy few.

Let us go forward together.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Alternatively... there's always this-- Señor Trumpanzee with his next FBI Chief:

Here's How You Can Help Build Our Green Coalition

Blue America is working with our allies in Congress' Sustainable Energy And Environment Coalition Caucus [SEEC PAC], including old friends we've helped get elected and reelected like Matt Cartwright, Ted Lieu, Pramila Jayapal, Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Alan Lowenthal, Judy Chu, Ilhan Omar, Jim Himes, Barbara Lee, Earl Blumenauer, Steve Cohen, Raul Grijalva, Jerry McNerney, Nanette Barragan and Katie Porter.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), chair of Congress' Natural Resources Committee, told us yesterday that "Within the halls of Congress, no group is working harder than the SEEC Caucus to advance clean energy, climate change solutions, and environmental justice while protecting our air, water, wildlife, and public lands from the Trump administration." He further pointed out that "This work is powered by a grassroots network of people pitching in what they can to support this critical work." Blue America and SEEC PAC have teamed up to raise some last minute campaign contributions for candidates both our groups have endorsed:

• Nate McMurray (NY)
• Beth Doglio (WA)
• Marie Newman (IL)
• Julie Oliver (TX)
• Mike Siegel (TX)
• Kathy Ellis (MO)
• Audrey Denney (CA)
• Cathy Kunkel (WV)
• Jon Hoadley (MI)
• Kara Eastman (NE)
• Georgette Gomez (CA)
• Dana Balter (NY)

Let's face it, our planet is at stake in November. If we are going to build a better future for this generation and the next, there is no time to waste.

That's why SEEC PAC and Blue America have endorsed an incredible slate of leaders who will act on this issue. We can't give even an inch. It's essential that we expand our green coalition in the House and continue to push Congress to take up clean energy, climate resiliency, and environmental protections.

These green leaders can become Members of Congress-- with your help. Will you maximize your donation by contributing to these dually-endorsed candidates today?

The Trump administration spent four years taking a wrecking ball to environmental regulations. They hired oil and gas lobbyists and climate deniers to lead the federal agencies tasked with protecting our air, water, and public lands. They ignored the science while wildfires destroyed communities and hurricanes slammed our coasts.

It is going to take work to repair the damage of Donald Trump. We have to rebuild protections for our environment and ensure climate mitigation is a part of those conversations. We have to reinforce the government processes that allow us to protect the American people from reckless pollution and disregard of science and fact.

Climate change and environmental protection have been among the most important items Beth Doglio has attended to as a member of the Washington state legislature. As a congressional candidate, she told us that she's "So proud to have the endorsement of SEEC. My Govenor-- Jay Inslee- founded SEEC when he served in Congress. As a State Representative, I worked with  Governor Inslee to pass landmark policies addressing environmental issues in Washington. We passed a suite of climate policies moving our state to 100% clean electricity, making our existing commercial buildings more efficient and building our mass transit and vehicle/ferry electrification systems. We are on track to meet our greenhouse emission reduction goals in statute. I can't wait to work with SEEC membership to pass bold transformational policies that make the visionary Green New Deal our future."

Progressive Democrat Kathy Ellis told us this morning that she's "running for Congress in a largely rural, 30-county district in Missouri that's been decimated by climate change and deregulation. Our local economy is almost entirely based on the environment, whether it’s through farming, hospitality, or our incredible state parks and riverways. And yet, over the last ten years, we’ve seen the damage that a climate-denier congressman can have: our farmers have struggled greatly because of intense flooding on their farms, our local economy has suffered as a result, and deregulation has caused great pollution of our beautiful waterways-- all while Jason Smith votes against every bill that would tackle these problems. Having the support of SEEC means a great deal to me, as a pro-environment and pro-science candidate. Missouri’s 8th District deserves-- and desperately needs-- a representative who is ready to fight each and every day for legislation that will protect our environment, create jobs, and tackle some of the root causes of climate change. I’m ready to be that person, and I’m honored to have SEEC in this fight with me."

Syracuse area progressive Dana Balter was endorsed early on by both Blue America and the SEEC Caucus. She's a big fan of the fact that the Caucus "s leading the fight in Congress on bold, smart, and strategic clean energy policies. They've also played a critical role in opposing and highlighting the dangers of anti-environmental actions taken by the Trump administration. Rebuilding our economy from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic gives us the opportunity to make a significant investment in clean energy jobs-- and the SEEC Caucus is working to make that a reality. Their leadership is invaluable, and I am deeply honored to have their support in this race."

It's going to take a strong green coalition in the House fighting every day to pass comprehensive climate legislation and hold Congress to account as climate change knocks at our door.

That's why SEEC PAC and Blue America endorsed green leaders running in close House races around the country. They're ready to act on climate on Day 1-- but first, they need your help to win their races!

Split a donation between SEEC PAC/Blue America endorsed candidates today to give these candidates a boost with less than 3 weeks before Election Day.

Mike Siegel just added something I want to share: ""I'm honored to have the support of SEEC and Blue America as we build a broad national coalition to combat climate change and build the renewable economy we need. As a Democrat running for Congress in the heart of Texas, I know how important it is that we take bold, courageous steps to address climate change and environmental degradation, even when those steps require difficult conversations with workers and businesses that depend on fossil fuel revenue. The Texas 10th Congressional District is already suffering from the impact of our fossil fuel economy. We have a coal plant in Fayette County that has been polluting the air and water for 40 years; we have widespread fracking operations that release chemicals into our groundwater and methane into our air; we have a Houston region that has suffered five 500-year flood events in five years; and we have Bastrop county, which was devastated by a massive wildfire nine years ago. These natural and unnatural disasters can all be traced to fossil fuel emissions. Even though Texas is built on a fossil fuel economy, we can't put our heads in the sand and pretend that change is not needed. I'm running for Congress to build an unparalleled coalition of unions, environmentalists, ranchers and farmers, progressives and activists of all types, to fight climate change, to create jobs in a renewable economy, and to address the legacy of pollution and environmental injustice. Thank you, SEEC and Blue America for your belief and support, and I look forward to joining with you in the days, months and years ahead, for the good of our planet, and for the good of our nation."

Whose Side Is The DCCC On? Bustos Moves Against Progressive Candidates Kara Eastman, Dana Balter And Mike Siegel

All My Sons And Daughters by Alejandro Cartagina

Rachel Cohen and Ryan Grim have been keeping an eye on reactionary anti-democracy Blue Dog— and DCCC chair— Cheri Bustos. Bustos is working overtime to disadvantage the progressive movement… but not effective pushback from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which didn’t even bother to run a candidate against her when she moved— successfully— to grab the DCCC chair. She is already proving herself the worst DCCC chair in modern history and has turned herself into the most hated Democrat among party activists, something that took Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rahm Emanuel many years to accomplish when they held that title. The Republicans aren’t running anyone against her— why should they? She votes very conservatively and having someone as incompetent as she is head up the DCCC is a dream come true for them. The 50 seats the Democrats could take in 2020 will likely turn into a couple of dozen— at best— under Bustos’ guidance. (Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Bustos isn’t running anyone against her Republican counterpart, Tom Emmer (R-MN), the incompetent head of the NRCC.

The Grim and Cohen post at The Intercept yesterday, shows, politely, how Bustos is working to doing whatever she can to undermine the efforts of progressives who have built two-cycle campaigns to win districts with Republican incumbents. Bustos’ targets are Kara Eastman (NE), Dana Balter (NY) and Mike Siegel (TX). Before we get into it, please take a look at these three results:

Grim and Cohen, apparently hoping to maintain a cordial, professional relationship with Bustos and the DCCC call their sabotage of the 3 candidates, “a hands-off approach.” They make the point that the DCCC’s refusal to spend money on the 3 progressives who Bustos hates on ideological grounds— she vehemently and savagely opposes everything they’re running own— is a departure from DCCC policies in the past. After several candidates lost races that the DCCC didn’t think were winnable, the committee then backed them when they tried again and they won the second time. They use Larry Kissell (NC) and Dan Maffei (NY) as the examples. Maybe Cohen and Grim should have mentioned that Kissell was a Blue Dog and Maffei a New Dem… and neither ever likely to support anything more progressive than the kind of pablum Pelosi and Hoyer tend to push.

Last year, the DCCC wanted a Blue Dog, creepy-crawly already rejected Brad Ashford, for the Omaha seat, but Kara beat him in the primary. So the DCCC did whatever they could to make sure she lost, primarily by telling institutional contributors not to donate to her campaign against Republican Don Bacon. Balter had a similar situation after she beat the DCCC recruit in a primary. They basically just gave up on a very winnable district (with a D+3 PVI, that Obama won twice and where even Hillary managed to beat Trump (49% to 45%). Down in Texas, it ws a somewhat different situation. They refused to back Siegel because they said the district was “too red” and as he made significant headway, instead of helping him, they told unions not to waste their money on him. Like I said, the NRCC isn;’t running anyone against Bustos. There’s no way the DCCC could find them anyone worse. One more thing: that thermometer on the right is so you can contribute to progressive running for Congress, in this case, progressives who have to contend not just with Republicans, but with a hostile and rotten-to-the-core Cheri Bustos and her vile DCCC.

In 2018, the DCCC… deemed a handful of races unwinnable, yet the candidates nearly won anyway. In Omaha, Nebraska, the party walked away from Kara Eastman, but she came within 2 percentage points of flipping that House seat. Again in Syracuse, the DCCC wrote off Dana Balter, spending just $300,000, but she fell just 5 percentage points short on Election Day. In Texas’ 10th district, Mike Siegel ran an aggressive race against Michael McCaul, the Republican currently serving in Tom DeLay’s former seat. The national party didn’t have the race on its radar, but Siegel, who put together a strong grassroots network and ran as an outspoken progressive, gave McCaul a scare, losing by a margin of 4 percentage points.

Unlike in 2008, the last presidential cycle to follow a Blue Wave, the DCCC seems to have little interest in 2020 in revisiting its assessment of candidates who fell just short. In Texas, the DCCC is courting a corporate lawyer with big-money backing to challenge Siegel in a primary. In Omaha, Eastman is running again, but the DCCC, whose recruit lost to her in 2018, has its eye on several other potential candidates. And in Syracuse, there’s been no shift in the DCCC’s distant posture toward Balter, who is running again, so far without the support of the party committee.

A DCCC spokesperson acknowledged that the party committee is not rallying behind candidates who fell just short in 2018 but said that they are not opposing them, either. [A blatant and typical DCCC lie, as you will soon see.]

Eastman’s race in particular was a progressive flashpoint in 2018, because in the primary, the DCCC supported former Rep. Brad Ashford, who was broadly conservative and had a record as an anti-choice state legislator. The committee did spend some $300,000 on Eastman’s general election race, after opposing her during the primary, but that was far less than it invested in a typical race, and down the stretch, the party committee declined to help push Eastman over the top.

One potential candidate the DCCC is courting in lieu of Eastman is Gladys Harrison, the general manager of a beloved Omaha restaurant, Big Mama’s Kitchen. Harrison, who has never run for office before, has not yet formally announced but told The Intercept in late May that she was considering entering the race. Reached again last week about running, Harrison said “at this time I am not ready to comment.”

Local party officials, who closely monitor political developments in the district, said the DCCC was working to recruit Harrison into the race. “I know they’ve been reaching out to her, and they’re considering supporting her for Congress,” said Ben Gray, president of the Omaha City Council.

A spokesperson for the DCCC said they would “not confirm or deny” whether they have worked to recruit her.

Sam Barrett, who managed Ashford’s 2016 campaign, is now working for the DCCC. Ashford lost his primary bid to Eastman in 2018, and his wife, Ann Ashford, is now competing against her for Congress. (On Wednesday, Ann Ashford announced on Facebook that she had been endorsed by six former elected officials, including her husband.)

The DCCC also spoke with another potential candidate, Denise Blaya Powell, according to an active member of the local Democratic Party. Powell started a local organization called Women Who Run, but she is an Eastman supporter who donated to her campaign in March.

Crystal Rhoades, an Eastman supporter and the chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party, told The Intercept that she spoke directly with the DCCC about their efforts to recruit other candidates about a month ago. “The DCCC told me, ‘Well, we can’t win on Medicare for All; Omaha is an insurance town,’” she said. “And I said, ‘I know corporations are people now, but insurance companies don’t actually vote.’” Rhoades added that in a district like hers, the challenge is not peeling off Republican voters but boosting Democratic turnout.

Despite the $300,000 the DCCC spent on the general election, Rhoades said she felt the party committee did not really support Eastman. “The DCCC didn’t support Kara last time, even in the general, and anyone who says differently is lying because they did not,” said Rhoades. “Most support from the DCCC and those other national organizations comes in the form of independent expenditures, and they did nothing for Kara, and yet she still came in with less than 2 points as a first-time candidate for federal office in a district as tough as ours. That she did that with zero help from the DCCC is really a testament to her candidacy.”

Meanwhile in Texas, after his near loss, Mike Siegel started earlier this time, announcing his bid in January 2019. Knowing how important the D.C.-based party committee considers early fundraising numbers, he came out of the gate strong, raising $150,000 to start. It didn’t matter. Instead, the DCCC has had its eyes on Shannon Hutcheson.

Hutcheson had a more direct route into the good graces of the DCCC than a mere show of strength. Her finance chair, Aimee Boone Cunningham, a Container Store heiress, gave $35,500 to the committee on February 20. Not long after the donation, Hutcheson traveled to Washington to meet with DCCC officials, a meeting confirmed by a DCCC spokesperson. On March 4, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a signature Democratic Party fundraising dinner in Travis County, Texas, which included a VIP reception honoring Cunningham as a “philanthropist & activist.” Cunningham, a major Democratic donor, is chair of the board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and previously served on the board of Emily’s List and its Texas version, Annie’s List.

Hutcheson has a long career as a corporate attorney, and in 2010, a critical year for Democrats, voted in the Republican primary. (It may seem odd, but that profile— a corporate lawyer who was recently a Republican— is attractive to the DCCC, which sees in it money and bipartisan appeal.)

The DCCC has not publicly endorsed Hutcheson yet, but the message is clear. Four of the first followers of Hutcheson’s new campaign Twitter account are DCCC officials. Within just two days of entering the race, she announced having raised $165,000. She did not boast of it coming from small donors, which suggests she had lined up commitments from the ultra-wealthy ahead of the announcement.

Siegel said that he’s frustrated the party appears to be taking sides against its own electoral interests. “In 2018, we stepped up and ran our campaign the right way in a district that the state and national party had left for dead,” he said. “We campaigned in all nine counties, had 1,000 volunteers. We put this district in play. We made up 15 percentage points against an incumbent considered to be unbeatable. We put this in play. Running a top-down campaign attempting to buy a district is what McCaul did [to win the primary to succeed DeLay], that’s not what we need here.”

Siegel is confident he can win the race with the DCCC’s support or its neutrality, but it becomes dicier if he has to battle not just the GOP but his own party too. “What my campaign brings is, we’ve made tens of thousands of voter contacts, won the loyalty of grassroots groups, and can combine that with a traditional red-to-blue campaign,” he said. “I can do that with the DCCC’s support, and I can also do it if the DCCC remains neutral. But if they actively work against me, they’re sabotaging what is probably our best chance to win this seat.”

In some cases, it may make sense for the DCCC to stay out, as it gives other candidates a chance to come forward and compete. In Texas’ 24th District, Jan McDowell fell by just 3 percentage points to incumbent Rep. Kenny Marchant and is running again in 2020. Money isn’t everything, but McDowell raised just $108,000 over the entire cycle, the mark of a campaign that never truly caught on, either with big donors or with a grassroots network. And in context, her 3-point loss is less impressive than it looks: Beto O’Rourke carried the district during his Senate run, and state Senate and House candidates also flipped seats.

This cycle, Candace Valenzuela, a local school board member whose launch video of her time spent homeless as a child went viral, is also getting in the race. “I’m never going to be a favored establishment candidate,” she told The Intercept. “I don’t have a rich aunt Jill to call and ask, can you send me $2,800? And get all your friends from— I don’t know what rich aunt Jills do— your manicure circle, and tell them to send me money too?”



Also jumping into TX-24 is Kim Olson, a retired Air Force colonel. In her own viral ad, she boasts of playing a leading role in the Kosovo air war, which she called “the largest bombing campaign since World War II,” and “a battle we won without a single loss of life.” If the more than 500 people killed by that bombing campaign could hear her make that claim, they’d surely be surprised. (She presumably means that no Americans were killed.)

Later in her ad, she alludes to war profiteering she engaged in, which ended her military career when she accepted a fine and a reprimand to avoid a court martial. “Pentagon investigators allege that while on active duty as one of the most powerful figures in Iraq, Olson established a U.S. branch of a South African security firm after helping it win more than $3 million in contracts to provide protection for senior U.S. and British officials, as well as for KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton Co.,” the Los Angeles Times reported in 2006. There’s no evidence that the DCCC recruited or is supporting Olson, or that it’s otherwise gotten involved in the district.

The DCCC, however, does know how to consolidate around a candidate they’d previously overlooked. Gina Ortiz Jones lost a nail-biter in Texas’ 23rd District in 2018. The DCCC had preferred her opponent in the primary, but after the party’s recruit didn’t even make the runoff, the committee got behind Ortiz Jones and remains supportive of her for 2020, even if there hasn’t been an official endorsement.

Jones is a New Dem, so she passes Bustos’ smell test since she will never vote for programs Bustos is trying to stop, like the Green New Deal and Medicare-For-All. That she isn't the best candidate in a 70+ percent Latino district-- she's a Filipina-- is something the Republicans are over-the-moon about. I guess Will Hurd will be safe again. I wonder if he sends a cake or something to Bustos as a thank you gesture. Back to Mike Siegel for a moment-- an interview David Feldman did with him 8 months ago.