Less than two months before Election Day, when the Republicans are projected to win the majority, Democrat lawmakers — especially those retiring — have lagged on making their expected contributions to the DCCC.
Punchbowl reported that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), during Wednesday morning’s closed-door meeting, told the Democrat lawmakers that donors are starting to worry about why they are not giving their campaign donations to the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Members are expected to pay “dues” to the DCCC based on various factors, such as committee assignments — whether a high-profile committee, subcommittee, or full committee — chairmanships, and leadership positions in the Democrat caucus.
While Punchbowl noted vulnerable members are “essentially exempt” from paying their “dues” since they are needed for their own elections. But overall, 98 percent of the House Democrats paid less than half of what they expected. This comes as DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney, a vulnerable member himself, has taken heat for where the money has been spent, while some Democrats have said he has been using the committee to help himself.
The Democrats, trying to defend their wafer-thin margin, have raised more than $252 million this cycle, while over $118 million in cash on hand is left. However, the committee has burned money and already dumped millions into ad reservations in vulnerable members’ districts.
Maloney told Punchbowl that he hoped the committee could “lean on” the party’s rank and file for help. He pointed to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s dinner next Monday night to help lawmakers make up some of their dues and raise money for the committee.
On the other hand, Punchbowl acknowledged that most members have been secretive about how much money they will hand over, while others just said “no.”
- Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), the former DCCC chair who is retiring, had yet to pay anything, according to Punchbowl but claims to have given out $350,000 to others needing it. However, Bustos claiming she’s raised millions in the past for members means little to the committee who still wants her cash.
- Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a member of the so-called radical “squad,” has also yet to pay any of his dues but said he “definitely” plans on paying the $150,000 owed to the committee. He also said he supports other members.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), another member of the so-called radical “squad,” has yet to pay any of her $150,000 in dues. When asked about paying, she told Punchbowl, “I’m not one of those.” Omar has had to spend a lot of money on her own primary.
- Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) said he “spent all” of his money when he was “trying to win” the primary he lost against a radical opponent. He was expected to pay $250,000 in dues. When asked about the far-left members of his caucus not paying, he said, “Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is, maybe, if you want to be in the majority. I’m not sure a lot of them care about that, perhaps. But yeah, I mean, it’s a team sport.”
- Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (D-VA) filing showed he has millions in the bank and has yet to pay the entirety of the $175,000 he owes. When asked, Connolly said that he has “pledged” the last $100,000 and has already paid $75,000.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has not given any of her $6 million in the bank to the committee and has indicated that she does not like how the DCCC raises money. Overall, she has raised $1,000 for the committee and another $145,000 that she has either raised for or given to candidates.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.