We Did it: Dems ramp up budget pressure — Inside July fundraising reports

Aug 23, 2021

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Quick Fix

— Moderate Democrats are feeling the pressure ahead of a key budget resolution vote, fielding phone calls from the DCCC and a separate pressure campaign from Our Revolution.

— Nearly all the major Democratic committees outraised their Republican counterparts in July, but the GOP still has a cash on hand advantage ahead of the 2022 midterms.

— Attorney Marc Elias split from law firm Perkins Coie to launch his own firm focused on expanding ballot access, progressive issues and boosting Democratic candidates.

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TopLine

Rep. Josh Gottheimer seated.

Progressive group Our Revolution will target Rep. Josh Gottheimer this week. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

MORE MONEY MORE PROBLEMS — When the House returns later today, Democratic leaders are hoping to execute a two-day sprint that boosts the party's biggest legislative priorities. But some of the most vulnerable Democrats are wary of voting for the massive budget resolution bill that passed the Senate earlier this month, especially when the party's own polling shows its majority at risk.

The DCCC has called centrist lawmakers to strong-arm them into voting for the $3.5 trillion budget framework, POLITICO's Sarah Ferris reported. In phone calls to centrist members, DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney warned their majority would be in jeopardy if the lawmakers block Biden's agenda. There was no direct threat to cut off cash, but some House members interpreted the calls as a warning that fundraising help could be impacted if they don't fall in line.

And now Our Revolution is launching its own effort to drum up support for the budget resolution. The progressive spinoff of Bernie Sanders ' 2016 presidential campaign is launching a "Revolution Recess" initiative, first reported in Score, to target more than three dozen lawmakers. The group will hold in-person demonstrations and phone and text banks to press lawmakers on budget priorities like expanding Medicare, ending fossil fuel subsidies and protecting the right to unionize.

Our Revolution's first target: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). The group will hold a demonstration at his district office in Glen Rock, N.J., on Tuesday. Gottheimer — who had a whopping $10 million in the bank at the midpoint of this year — is leading the group of moderate Democrats who want to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, rather than delay it to vote on the budget resolution. Gottheimer beat progressive primary challenger Arati Kreibich last year, and then beat Republican Frank Pallotta with 53 percent of the vote. Biden won the district with 52 percent, though it will be redrawn this cycle.

Other notable names that Our Revolution plans to target: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas).

"The progressive movement is going to make it clear to corporate Democrats that if you stand in the way of this once in a generation piece of budget legislation, you are not on the side of working people," Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said in a statement to Score. "Our Revolution members are going to organize like never before to hold Democrats accountable and get this bill over the finish line."

Down the Ballot

THE CASH DASH — The major Republican committees have more cash on hand overall, while all but one of the Democratic committees raised more cash than the GOP committees in July, according to new FEC filings. The deadline for monthly filers was Friday, and the reports cover July 1-31.

— DNC: The DNC raised $13.1 million and spent $8.3 million with $67.9 million on hand. The committee reported having $551,000 in debt. (DNC filing).

— RNC: The RNC raised $12.9 million and spent $15.6 million with $79 million on hand. (RNC filing).

— DSCC: The DSCC raised $6.5 million and spent $7.8 million with $10.3 million on hand. The committee has $2 million in debt. (DSCC filing).

— NRSC: The NRSC raised $7.5 million and spent $8.4 million with $24.1 million in cash on hand. The committee did not report any debt. ( NRSC filing).

— DCCC: The DCCC raised $11.3 million and spent $6.2 million with $49.3 million in cash on hand. (DCCC filing).

— NRCC: The NRCC raised $7 million and spent $5.2 million with $56.8 million in cash on hand. ( NRCC filing).

BIG BREAKUP — Democratic attorney Marc Elias split with influential law firm Perkins Coie to launch his own practice, he and the firm announced on Sunday. Eleven partners and three counsel will separate from the firm to create Elias Law Group LLP, which will be based in D.C. and have an office in Seattle.

The firm's focus will be "electing Democrats, supporting voting rights, and helping progressives make change." The initial Elias Law Group partners are Jon Berkon, Aria Branch, Hannah Eaves, Marc Elias, Elisabeth Frost, Tyler Hagenbuch, Rachel Jacobs, Abha Khanna, Kate Sawyer Keane, Katherine LaBeau, Jackie Lopez, Uzoma Nkwonta, Ezra Reese, Ben Stafford and Graham Wilson.

COUNTING HEADS — Nearly all of the top 10 fastest-growing congressional districts are represented by Republicans, and most of them were located in Texas or Florida, according to recently released Census Bureau data. Nine out of the 10 districts have Republican lawmakers, POLITICO's Steve Shepard, Patterson Clark, Ming Li and Sean McMinn reported. (Make sure to click for the graphic). That will have implications in Texas, which will gain two congressional seats this cycle, and Florida, which will get one more seat.

"House members such as Troy Nehls (R-Texas) — whose district is south of Houston — or Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — whose district stretches from the Houston suburbs west to Austin — will see their constituencies shrink," when maps are redrawn to give each congressional district an equal number of constituents.

(RE)CALL ME MAYBE — Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to her home state of California to campaign for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of the Sept. 14 recall. Harris will take a campaign swing through the Bay Area on Friday, POLITICO California's Jeremy White reported. The Biden administration stayed out of the recall fight for months, but has been more vocal in its support for Newsom in recent weeks.

— On the Republican side, Republican Larry Elder is facing calls to resign after his ex-fiancee alleged he brandished a gun at her, which was first reported by POLITICO California's Carla Marinucci. The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board wrote that Elder should end his campaign, and Republican candidates Caitlyn Jenner and Kevin Faulconer said the same, Jeremy wrote. In the wake of the allegations, Elder has shaken up his recall campaign team, Carla reports. GOP consultant Jeffrey Corless, who previously worked for Carly Fiorina, has replaced Louis Barnett as campaign manager.

GETTING IN — Michigan State Police Captain Mike Brown is running for governor as a Republican, the Detroit Free Press' Paul Egan reported. Brown is the second member of law enforcement to express interest in the seat, following former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who is exploring a Republican primary bid. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking another term.

DROPPING OUT — Maine Republican Trey Stewart ended his bid for Congress and endorsed former Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine), the Lewiston Sun Journal's Steve Collins wrote. Stewart said his decision to endorse Poliquin's campaign to reclaim his old job from Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) is "the most responsible choice."

EXCLUSIVE: STAFFING UP — The Nevada Democratic coordinated campaign hired Mallory Payne to serve as deputy communications director. Payne will lead communications efforts for the 2022 governors' race in the state. The coordinated campaign is a relatively new group that Democrats launched after the state Democratic Party was taken over by leaders who are supported by the Democratic Socialists of America, POLITICO's James Arkin wrote (for Pros) in June.

HINDSIGHT IS 2020 — Trump-endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) was booed at the former president's rally when he asked the crowd to "look forward" to 2022, rather than litigate the 2020 election, The Birmingham News' Dennis Pillion reported. Brooks "cleared up" his comments later on Twitter, claiming without evidence, "The 2020 election was fraught with voter fraud & election theft on a massive scale. If only legal votes cast by eligible American citizens were counted, Trump won the election."

JUST PEACHY — Georgia elections officials will investigate whether Julie Blanchard, the wife of possible Senate candidate Herschel Walker, voted illegally in the 2020 election, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Mark Niesse and Greg Bluestein reported. The investigation comes as Walker considers a bid against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock . Blanchard owns property in Texas and in Georgia, and returned her Georgia absentee ballot from the Lone Star state. Blanchard says she considers herself a Georgia resident and has a driver's license from the state, but hadn't voted there since 2008. Blanchard is not registered to vote in Texas.

ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Trump endorsed former Nevada state Attorney General Adam Laxalt for Senate, days after the Republican launched a campaign against Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada). Laxalt served as a Nevada campaign co-chair for Trump in 2020 and supported Trump's effort to overturn the Nevada election results, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Blake Apgar reported.

— Five Arizona mayors endorsed former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) for governor. Salmon has support from Bullhead City Mayor Tom Brady, Benson Mayor Joe Konrad, Prescott Mayor-Elect Phil Goode, Snowflake Mayor Lynn Johnson and Taylor Mayor David Smith.

— The Progressive Change Campaign Committee endorsed Ohio Democrat Morgan Harper for Senate. Harper is running to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and faces Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) in the Democratic primary.

THANKS, BUT NO THANKS — Ohio Democrats are staying away from down-ballot races in 2022, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Jeremy Pelzer reported. "No Democrats have announced — or are even publicly exploring — campaigns for attorney general, state treasurer or state auditor," while in August 2017, the Democratic nominees for executive offices had already launched campaigns. Democrats are staying out of the races because their bench is more shallow than the GOP, offices are held by strong Republican incumbents and lawmakers are waiting to see how redistricting shakes out.

THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES — The Minnesota state Republican Party is in disarray after chair Jennifer Carnahan stepped down amid a scandal last week, POLITICO's David Siders and Paul Demoko wrote. The party had faced problems even before Carnahan was accused of creating a toxic work environment, after GOP donor Anton "Tony" Lazzaro was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges. Republicans saw Minnesota as a pickup opportunity in 2020, but Trump lost to Biden by 7 points there, and "though Republicans flipped one rural congressional seat and maintained a majority in the state Senate last fall, they ceded ground in the state's populous — and growing — suburbs, an ominous sign for the party's future in a once-promising state."

THE CENTENNIAL STATE — Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is in hiding after an elections equipment password breach, The Colorado Sun's Nancy Lofholm wrote. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold stripped Peters of her ability to oversee elections in the county, and is investigating how passwords for the voting equipment ended up on the internet. Peters spoke at MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's recent "cyber symposium," where attendees embraced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Roughly 250 of Peters' supporters gathered outside the Mesa County elections office on Saturday, including GOP state Rep. Ron Hanks, who called Griswold's investigation a "false-flag operation."

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LEADING THE PARTY — Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow was elected to serve as chair of the Wisconsin state Republican Party. Farrow will replace Andrew Hitt, who recently stepped down as chair but will serve on the executive committee as immediate past chairman.

CODA — HEADLINE OF THE DAY — "16 Cats, 320 Square Feet and One Long-Shot Candidate for Mayor" — The New York Times

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