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'.
