Obama on the ballot? ‘Depends on the district,’ says DCCC
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Steve Israel (N.Y.) said that whether President Obama is on the ballot this year “depends on the district.”
“Look, I say what I tell my candidates: It depends on the district,” Israel said Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
{mosads}”If they’re going out to vote in Nancy Pelosi’s district, chances are people want to make sure that you have supported the president most of the time,” he said.
“And if they’re going to vote in the district that you had, chances are people are going to hold it against you if you supported President Obama’s policies any of the time,” he said to host Joe Scarborough, a Republican who is a former Florida representative.
Israel agreed that Democratic candidates should be able to say which policies of the president’s they support or oppose.
“Because in the districts that are competitive, most people are like that,” he said.
Democratic Senate candidates such as Kentucky’s Alison Lundergan Grimes and Georgia’s Michelle Nunn are getting attention for whether they voted for the president.
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) struggled when asked several times in an interview this week with Bloomberg which Senate races Obama has helped by campaigning for Democrats.
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The DCCC has outraised the National Republican Senatorial Committee by $30 million this election cycle, though Israel noted outside money has leveled the field.
Asked why Republicans are likely to maintain control of the House, Israel noted the difficulty of midterms.
“Every midterm election is tough for the president’s party,” Israel said. “Ronald Reagan lost seats at the height of his popularity in the second midterm.”