Anti-incumbent group to target Reps. Moran, Jones

By Josh Lederman - 03/28/12 05:36 PM ET

The Campaign for Primary Accountability has added Reps. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) to its list of members it plans to attack.

The group entered the scene for the first time this cycle and seeks to oust incumbents from both parties who have overstayed their welcome. It has already claimed its first two victims in Reps. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) and Don Manzullo (R-Ill.), both of whom were targeted by the campaign and then lost their primaries.

The campaign has been ramping up its activity as of late, announcing Tuesday that it will spend about $200,000 each against Reps. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Tim Holden (D-Pa.).

It is the only major super-PAC regularly targeting members of both political parties.

The group says it is only targeting safe districts where there is an entrenched incumbent and a credible challenger — although in some cases, including that of Manzullo, the challenger is a more junior member of the House. (The group also backed Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in his redistricting-induced primary against Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who had been in the House longer than Kucinich, but Kaptur still won the primary.)

"The full measure of the success of our efforts will be seen in the next election cycle when more primary challengers step forward, giving voters a choice and an opportunity to participate in competitive elections," said Curtis Ellis, the campaign's spokesman.

The Campaign for Primary Accountability also released a list of races on its "watch list" for the second quarter of 2012, signaling to those lawmakers that they can be targeted in the near future.

In New York, the group is watching Reps. Nydia Velázquez (D), Charles Rangel (D) and Edolphus Towns (D). In North Carolina, Rep. Howard Coble (R) is in the group's sights.

Texas lawmakers facing scrutiny by the group include Republican Reps. Ralph Hall, Joe Barton, John Culberson, Kevin Brady, Mike Conaway, Lamar Smith and Kenny Marchant, and Democratic Reps. Rubén Hinojosa and Lloyd Doggett.

House members from California attracting the group's attention include Republican Reps. Dan Lungren, Gary Miller, John Campbell and Brian Bilbray, and Democratic Reps. Pete Stark, Jim Costa, Anna Eshoo, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano, Henry Waxman, Joe Baca, Karen Bass, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Maxine Waters.

The campaign is also watching the New Jersey primary between Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, plus two redistricting-induced California primaries: Rep. Howard Berman (D) versus Rep. Brad Sherman (D) and Rep. Janice Hahn (D) versus Rep. Laura Richardson (D).