Hispanic Caucus campaign arm unveils non-Hispanic endorsements

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s (CHC) campaign arm, Bold PAC, announced  a slate of non-Hispanic House endorsements on Tuesday, including six Democratic challengers and six incumbents.

Bold PAC, whose primary mission is to grow the size of the CHC, mostly endorses Hispanic Democrats in the general election, but also throws its weight behind a group of non-Hispanic allies every cycle.

“While BOLD PAC Members are focused on electing Latino leaders to Congress, we are also doing our part to protect and expand our Democratic majority in the House of Representatives,” said Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), the chairman of Bold PAC.

“By endorsing these candidates, we are continuing to build on the diverse coalition that helped Democrats take back the House in 2018,” he added.

The Democratic challengers endorsed by Bold PAC for 2020 will be taking on a mix of big-name Republicans in relatively moderate districts, and Democratic targets in pivot districts.

For instance, the committee endorsed Tedra Cobb, an upstate New York politician, to challenge Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a young Republican standout who made her name as a vocal defender of President Trump during the impeachment investigation and trial.

Stefanik beat Cobb by nearly 14 points in 2018 while running as a moderate somewhat distant from Trump’s rhetoric.

Bold PAC is also going after Rep. Dan Crenshaw (Texas), another young and vocal Republican from a relatively moderate district, by supporting challenger Sima Ladjevardian.

Ladjevardian was a top adviser for former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), during both his Senate and presidential campaigns. The Iranian-born Ladjevardian took the Democratic primary by storm, filing shortly before the deadline with O’Rourke’s blessing.

Bold PAC also endorsed Amy Kennedy, the wife of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), to run against Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), who last year left the Democratic Party to support Trump against impeachment.

Rounding out the list of challenger endorsements are Jackie Gordon, an educator who’s making a run for retiring New York GOP Rep. Peter King’s Long Island district; businesswoman Brynne Kennedy, who’s challenging Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.); and Hilal Tipireini, a physician who’s challenging Arizona GOP Rep. David Schweikert after losing in a neighboring district to Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) in 2018.

Bold PAC also endorsed six sitting members seeking reelection who are not members of the CHC.

They are Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell (N.J.), Grace Meng (N.Y.), Susie Lee (Nev.), Josh Harder (Calif.), Tom Malinowski (N.J.), and Antonio Delgado (N.Y.), who was briefly courted for entry into the CHC, but ultimately did not join.

“Having the Democratic Majority has allowed us to fight for hard-working families in Washington, hold President Trump accountable, and create solutions to our nation’s biggest problems,” said Cárdenas in a statement.

“BOLD PAC is proud to stand alongside our colleagues who have fought to protect health care for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions, helped pass legislation to bring down the costs of prescription drugs for our seniors, and voted to protect our nation’s DREAMers. We need these Members back in Congress to continue our work for the American people,” he added.