Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Last updated

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
AbbreviationDCCC
Founded1866;158 years ago (1866)
PurposeTo elect Democrats to the US House of Representatives
Headquarters Washington, D.C., U.S.
Chair
 Suzan DelBene
Website dccc.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Formerly called
Democratic National Congressional Committee

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) [lower-alpha 1] is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. [1] The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds and organizes races in districts expected to yield politically notable or close elections. The committee consists of the Chairperson (who according to Democratic Caucus rules is a fellow member of the caucus appointed by the party leader in the House), their staff, and other Democratic members of Congress in various executive roles.

Contents

The Chairperson of the DCCC is the sixth-ranking position among House Democrats, after the Speaker, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the House Assistant Democratic Leader, and the Democratic Caucus Chairperson. The current chair is Suzan DelBene of Washington, who assumed the position in 2023. [2]

History

The DCCC was created in 1866 as the Democratic National Congressional Committee. Due to the reform of campaign finance legislation in 2004, the DCCC divides its activities among two organizations prior to Election Day:

  1. One organization (the "Coordinated" campaign) continues to work on congressional campaigns, offering relevant campaign advice.
  2. The other organization (the "Independent Expenditure" campaign), makes independent expenditures in congressional districts on behalf of the campaigns but is not allowed to coordinate activities with the campaigns.

In recent elections, the DCCC has played an expansive role in supporting Democratic candidates with independently produced television ads and mail pieces.

Rahm Emanuel assumed the position of DCCC committee chair after the death of the previous chair, Bob Matsui, at the end of the 2004 election cycle. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's successful effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2006 elections. After Emanuel's election as chair of the Democratic Caucus, Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the 110th Congress and the 2008 elections. He continued through the 2010 elections. Steve Israel served as chair for the 2012 and 2014 election cycles. [3] For the 2016 election cycle, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed congressman Ben Ray Luján to serve as the committee's chair. Luján was selected to serve again for the 2018 election cycle. [4]

For the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, DCCC chairs were elected by the caucus, rather than selected by the party leader. [5] [6] After the 2022 election cycle, the Democratic caucus voted to return to having the position be appointed by the leader. [7]

In 2022, workers at the DCCC announced they were forming a union affiliated with the Teamsters. Their union was immediately voluntarily recognized. [8]

Controversy

Consultant blacklist

After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her upset congressional victory over Joe Crowley, the DCCC implemented a policy blacklisting consultants who worked for primary opponents of Democratic Party incumbents. Highly unpopular among progressives, the organization rolled back the policy in 2021. [9]

Primary preferences

In the 2018 election cycle, the DCCC released negative information about candidate Laura Moser, who ran for US Congress in Texas' 7th congressional district. [10] The move backfired, as Moser gained donations and support en route to making the runoff before falling short against Lizzie Fletcher. [11] [12] A month after the attack on Moser, the DCCC showed preference in another Texas primary, supporting Colin Allred. [13] The decisions were two among many similar choices made by the organization throughout its history. [14] Similar criticism carried into the next election cycle, prompting Progressive Caucus member Ro Khanna to say:

This unprecedented grab of power is a slap in the face of Democratic voters across the nation. It's something even Rahm Emanuel would not have done and is totally tone-deaf to the grassroots activists across our nation. Voters are sick of the status quo holding on to power and stifling new voices. They are sick of D.C. politicians who care more about holding on to power than a true competition of ideas. [15]

Russian hacking

In July 2016, the DCCC said it was hacked. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] Subsequently, a person described as a hacker and known as "Guccifer 2.0" (Russian Main Intelligence Directorate persona) reportedly released documents and information that were obtained from the cyberattack on the DCCC. [21]

Supporting election denier opponents

In the 2022 primary cycle, the DCCC assisted Republican candidates that supported the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. This assistance took the form of attack ads aired during Republican primaries, the content of which ostensibly decried the further-right candidate's election denialism and other views described as "dangerous", with the aim of making that candidate more appealing to Republican primary voters. It was hoped that those more extreme Republican candidates would be more vulnerable to defeat in the subsequent general election. For instance, in Michigan, they aired ads supposedly against John Gibbs, a far-right challenger to incumbent Peter Meijer, who had voted to impeach Donald Trump in the second impeachment. [22] [23] Gibbs ultimately lost in the general election to Democratic candidate Hillary Scholten. [24]

Recipient of funds in the Gaurav Srivastava scandal

In March 2024, the DCCC froze hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from Indian businessman Gaurav Srivastava after he was accused of fraudulently pretending to be associated with the Central Intelligence Agency in the Gaurav Srivastava scandal. [25] In 2023, Srivastava had made several donations totalling almost $290,000 to the DCCC as chairman of Unity Resources Group. Campaign officials said the funds were placed in escrow, following concerns about their source and legality. [26]

List of chairs

NameStateTerm of service
James Rood Doolittle Wisconsin 1868
Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn Kentucky 1878
William A. Wallace Pennsylvania 1880
William Rosecrans California 1882
Arthur Pue Gorman Maryland 1884
John E. Kenna West Virginia 1886
James T. Jones Alabama 1888
Roswell P. Flower New York 1890
John L. Mitchell Wisconsin 1892
Charles James Faulkner West Virginia 1894–1896
Stephen M. White California 1898
James D. Richardson Tennessee 1900
James M. Griggs Georgia 1902–1908
James Tilghman Lloyd Missouri 1909–1913
Frank Ellsworth Doremus Michigan 1913–1917
Scott Ferris Oklahoma 1917–1921
Arthur B. Rouse Kentucky 1921–1924
William Allan Oldfield Arkansas 1925–1928
Joseph W. Byrns Sr. Tennessee 1928–1935
Patrick H. Drewry Virginia 1935–1947
Michael J. Kirwan Ohio 1947–1969
Michael A. Feighan Ohio 1969–1971
Tip O'Neill Massachusetts 1971–1973
Wayne Hays Ohio 1973–1976
James C. Corman California 1976–1981
Tony Coelho California 1981–1987
Beryl Anthony Jr. Arkansas 1987–1991
Victor H. Fazio California 1991–1995
Martin Frost Texas 1995–1999
Patrick J. Kennedy Rhode Island 1999–2001
Nita Lowey New York 2001–2003
Bob Matsui California 2003–2005
Rahm Emanuel Illinois 2005–2007
Chris Van Hollen Maryland 2007–2011
Steve Israel New York 2011–2015
Ben Ray Luján New Mexico 2015–2019
Cheri Bustos Illinois 2019–2021
Sean Patrick Maloney New York 2021–2023
Suzan DelBene Washington 2023–present

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Pronounced /diːˈtrɪpəlsiː/ DEETRIH-pəl SEE; sometimes abbreviated as /diːtrɪp/ DEETRIP.

Related Research Articles

The Hill committees are the common name for the political party committees that work to elect members of their own party to United States Congress. The four major committees are part of the Democratic and Republican parties and each work to help members of their party get elected to each chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Watson Coleman</span> American politician (Democrat)

Bonnie M. Watson Coleman is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2015 for the 15th legislative district. She is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Patrick Maloney</span> American politician (born 1966)

Sean Patrick Maloney is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development since April 2024. He formerly served as the U.S. representative from New York's 18th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. The district includes Newburgh, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie. A member of the Democratic Party, Maloney ran for New York Attorney General in 2018, coming in third place to Letitia James in the primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquin Castro</span> American politician (born 1974)

Joaquin Castro is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2013. The district includes just over half of his native San Antonio. He currently serves on the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruben Kihuen</span> American politician (born 1980)

Rubén Jesús Kihuen Bernal is an American politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives for Nevada's 4th congressional district, serving from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was a member of the Nevada Senate from 2006 to 2016. He was Nevada's first Latino member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Kihuen described himself as the first "Dreamer" elected to Congress. In December 2017, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Kihuen to resign in response to sexual misconduct allegations against him by a female campaign staff member, as reported by BuzzFeed. He refused to resign but did not run for reelection in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Ray Luján</span> American politician (born 1972)

Ben Ray Luján is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from New Mexico since 2021. He served as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 3rd congressional district from 2009 to 2021 and as Assistant Speaker from 2019 to 2021. He served as a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from 2005 to 2008, where he also served as chairman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cartwright</span> American politician (born 1961)

Matthew Alton Cartwright is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district, numbered as the 17th district from 2013 through 2019, includes a large swath of northeastern Pennsylvania, anchored by Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and the Poconos. A member of the Democratic Party, Cartwright defeated 10-term incumbent Tim Holden, the dean of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation, in the Democratic primary on April 24, 2012, 57%–43%. He then defeated Republican nominee Laureen Cummings in the general election on November 6, 2012, 61%–39%. As an attorney, Cartwright previously worked at the law firm of Munley, Munley, and Cartwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Veasey</span> American politician (born 1971)

Marc Allison Veasey is an American politician serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 33rd congressional district. From 2005 to 2013, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, where he served as chair pro tempore of the House Democratic Caucus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Takano</span> American politician (born 1960)

Mark Allan Takano is an American politician and academic who has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2013, representing California's 41st congressional district from 2013 to 2023 and the 39th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Takano became the first gay person of Asian descent in Congress upon taking office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicente Gonzalez (politician)</span> American politician (born 1967)

Vicente Gonzalez Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the United States representative for Texas's 34th congressional district since 2023 and served as the representative for Texas's 15th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Kansas, one from each of the state's four congressional districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the State of Arizona, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2018 Arizona gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The 2018 general elections saw the Democratic party gain the 2nd congressional district, thus flipping the state from a 5–4 Republican advantage to a 5–4 Democratic advantage, the first time since the 2012 election in which Democrats held more House seats in Arizona than the Republicans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the state of New Mexico, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Voters elected the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas, one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including the gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on March 6 and the run-offs were held on May 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Moser</span> American politician and author from Texas

Laura Moser is an American author and politician who founded the anti-Trump resistance movement Daily Action. She was a candidate for the United States Congress in Texas's 7th congressional district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzie Fletcher</span> American politician (born 1975)

Elizabeth Ann Fletcher is an American attorney and politician from Texas. A Democrat, she has represented Texas's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. The district includes parts of southwestern Houston and Harris County, as well as northern portions of Fort Bend County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus leadership election</span>

A leadership election was held by the United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus before the beginning of the 116th United States Congress on January 3, 2019. The election determined who will be nominated by the caucus for the speakership election as well as who would occupy other leadership positions within the House Democratic Caucus. The following positions were nominated or elected on November 29: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, House Majority Leader, House Majority Whip, House Assistant Majority Leader, Democratic Caucus Chair, and Democratic Caucus Vice Chair. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair, the Policy and Communications Committee's Chair and its three Co-Chairs, Junior Caucus Representative and Freshman Class Representative were elected the next day, and a third co-chair was added to the Steering and Policy Committee by the Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the state of Nebraska, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Missouri, one from each of the state's congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 38 U.S. representatives from Texas, one from each of the state's 38 congressional districts. The state gained two seats after the results of the 2020 census. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. Primary elections took place on March 1, with primary runoffs scheduled for May 24 for districts where no candidate received over 50% of the vote.

References

  1. ↑ Bowden, John (March 30, 2019). "Progressives hammer DCCC over blacklist targeting primary challenges". The Hill.
  2. ↑ Marans, Daniel (December 3, 2020). "Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Elected To Run House Democrats' Campaign Arm". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Rep. Steve Israel, member of Democratic leadership, retiring". Politico. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Luján remains DCCC chair, Pelosi still Minority Leader - NM Political Report". November 30, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  5. ↑ Pathé, Simone (November 29, 2018). "Cheri Bustos Elected DCCC Chair". Roll Call. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ↑ Rogers, Alex (December 3, 2020). "House Democrats elect Sean Patrick Maloney as DCCC chairman | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Jeffries faces decision as House Dems' next campaign chair still a mystery". Politico. December 12, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ "House Democrats' campaign arm forms largest union in Democratic Party". NBC News. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Birenbaum, Gabby (March 10, 2021). "In a victory for progressives, the DCCC ends its consultant blacklist". Vox.
  10. ↑ Nilsen, Ella (March 7, 2018). "The DCCC's scorched-earth campaign against Texas Democrat Laura Moser backfired". Vox.
  11. ↑ Hardy, Michael (February 27, 2018). "Laura Moser Shakes Off the DCCC". Texas Monthly.
  12. ↑ Weigel, David (February 23, 2018). "Progressives rage at DCCC after it attacks Texas candidate for 'begrudgingly' moving to Houston". Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Livingston, Abby (March 22, 2018). "1 month after attacking Laura Moser, DCCC spars with another Texas Democrat". Texas Tribune.
  14. ↑ Weigel, David (March 2, 2018). "Democratic group faces backlash after intervening in crowded House primaries". Washington Post.
  15. ↑ Grim, Ryan (March 27, 2019). "PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS SLAMS DCCC HEAD CHERI BUSTOS FOR HER ASSAULT ON PRIMARY CHALLENGERS". The Intercept.
  16. ↑ Neidig, Harper (July 29, 2016). "House Dem campaign arm says it was hacked". The Hill . Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Exclusive: FBI probes hacking of Democratic congressional group - sources". Reuters. July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Fundraising Nonprofit Says It Wasn't Compromised In DCCC Hack". Talking Points Memo. July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Democratic Party's congressional fundraising committee was also hacked". Ars Technica. July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  20. ↑ King, Bob; Starks, Tim (July 28, 2016). "Hackers suspected in new attack on Democrats". Politico.Com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ Diaz, Daniella (August 13, 2016). "Hacker releases cell phone numbers, personal emails of House Democrats". CNN. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  22. ↑ Ferris, Sarah. "House Dems berate campaign arm over 'very dangerous' GOP primary scheme". Politico. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  23. ↑ Levine, Sam (July 27, 2022). "Democrats split by bid to boost election denier in Michigan Republican primary". The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  24. ↑ McVicar, Brian (November 18, 2022). "Hillary Scholten flipped several Republican-leaning areas blue in West Michigan congressional race". mlive. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  25. ↑ "American Think-Tank Under Pressure Over $1m Donation From Conman Gaurav Kumar Srivastava". The Friday Times. January 31, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  26. ↑ Lippman, Daniel (March 19, 2024). "Biden ices a controversial donor" . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.