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House Democratic leaders to push members for dues
Lawmakers with direct ties to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) operations say more members than usual are clinging to every dollar instead of paying their dues.
“First of all, you’re never where you need to be with dues,” a Democratic source said. “That said, given where we are with how much incumbent protection we have to do and how much defense we have to play, there’s a natural tendency for members to go into protection mode, and [that] has lent itself to a greater need to hoard.
“And right now everyone has put a protective cocoon around themselves,” the source said.
But DCCC officials are looking down the road to a number of state filing deadlines. They anticipate that, once members know whom they’re running against and can assess the cost of their reelection campaigns, millions of dollars in member donations will be freed up.
Democratic leaders also are anticipating having to lean heavily on certain members who won’t be forced to spend a great deal to defend their seats, according to Democratic sources.
“The pressure will definitely ramp up in the spring,” a senior Democrat said. “You’re constantly looking for people you can lean on and get engaged, and the challenge is to target individuals who would be receptive to a strong push to kick over their dues. And that’s important, because that also has a multiplier effect.”
Leadership aides said the DCCC is right where it needs to be but the committee is missing dues payments from a significant portion of the caucus.
Several of the missing members are virtually guaranteed to win reelection and are senior enough to have significant fundraising inroads.
Some of these members have a long history of stiffing the DCCC on their member dues. Other lawmakers prefer to pay in regular installments throughout the year, but that creates a misleading impression — based on the end-of-January report — that the committee is coming up short, said a Democratic leadership aide.
House leaders have closely scrutinized the January dues report and know they’re going to have to squeeze as much cash as they can out of a relatively small number of members who can deliver significant sums of money.
Many members, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), have already met or surpassed their dues and donations goals. But others, including chairmen and subcommittee chairmen, have not.
Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (Wis.) has given $100,000 of the $500,000 in dues he owes for the 2010 cycle. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (N.Y.), who has the same dues goal, has given $150,000. Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), whose dues were set at $250,000, has given the DCCC $45,000.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (Texas) has given even less — $50,000 of the $250,000 expected by the DCCC. And House Administration Committee Chairman Robert Brady (Pa.), whose seat is not considered vulnerable, has not transferred any of his campaign funds to the DCCC, according to the most recent dues report, out Jan. 21.
Up to now, Pelosi and her cadre of leaders have done most of the heavy lifting, with the Speaker herself paying $850,000 in dues, donating $3.3 million to Frontline and “Red to Blue” candidates and raising $17 million of her targeted $25 million in funds for the entire campaign committee.
What must get done includes fending off Republican attack ads, but also making sure members can effectively sell their constituents on their accomplishments, both as individual lawmakers and as part of a Democratic majority.
“We have a big agenda,” the aide said. “But with that comes the need for members to go home and get that message out, and that takes resources.”
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