18 December 2007
Major Parties Work To Recruit Winning Candidates for Congress
Emphasis is on those who “fit” disparate districts they would serve
Washington -- Not everyone, it seems, is eager to be a congressman.
Campaign committees for both major political parties spend substantial time and effort recruiting the best potential candidates for key election districts around the country.
Their drive to recruit winning candidates comes against the background of a 2006 congressional election in which Democrats took over 30 previously Republican seats in the 435-member House of Representatives, moving into majority status after 12 years of Republican control.
The majority party sets the House agenda, holds the chairmanships of the legislative committees and is allotted more members on those committees.
While candidate selection is done largely at the local level, the national parties provide input through the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Spokesmen for both those groups use surprisingly similar language in describing what they look for in a candidate.
“We look first and foremost for someone who is a good fit for the district and who enjoys the support of local activists and rank and file Republicans in the district,” says Ken Spain, press secretary for the NRCC.
Doug Thornell, the DCCC press secretary, concurs. “The important thing is to find candidates who fit the district,” Thornell says.
Noting that the nature of the voters and the local problems vary widely in different areas, Thornell says the proper “fit” implies “sharing the views, values and priorities in terms of the particular district.”
While neither side would acknowledge that it is writing off any districts as unwinnable, both, in fact, focus their efforts on districts they believe offer a real chance of victory.
Spain puts it in terms of game strategy. “We look at the map like a chessboard and we look to maximize potential opportunities,” he says.
It is not surprising that both sides are convinced that their efforts will pay off in success in 2008.
Outside observers generally see the battle as a more difficult one for the Republicans. Their newfound minority status, perhaps coupled with low poll numbers for the party’s leader, President Bush, have pushed a number of members into retirement -- including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert.
Consequently, Republicans seek to retain 19 open seats -- where no incumbent is running -- with new candidates; the Democrats seek only five.
Spain exudes optimism despite the disparity.
“I think we’ve exceeded expectations when it comes to candidate recruitment,” he says. “Coming off the election cycle the Democrats recently experienced, one would think that they would have been able to out-recruit us in terms of quality candidates. But we’ve been very fortunate in the number of excellent candidates who have stepped forward.”
Reeling off congressional districts like squares on his metaphorical chessboard -- “Texas 22, Florida 16, Pennsylvania 10” -- Spain sees success ahead, based on what he calls “pent-up ambition” on the part of prospective candidates.
“There are strong Republican infrastructures in those districts, with Republicans representing the area in state legislatures and in county and municipal offices. So now, many of them see an opportunity and are willing to step forward and jump into the race,” he says. “They believe they can win; so do we.”
Those challengers are offered demographic breakdowns of the district “providing a road map to victory” as well as a “candidate school” involving advice and assistance in fundraising, polling and media consultants, according to Spain.
“Pent-up desire and a strong recruiting effort have made for an excellent combination when it comes to finding candidates,” Spain says. “Democrats are not going to get two 2006s in a row,” he declares.
Thornell stresses the home area-based nature of the DCCC’s candidate recruitment campaign.
More than a dozen sitting congressional representatives from around the country meet weekly to consider the overall effort, he says, with individual members providing guidance on their own areas.
“If we’re looking at a race in the Midwest, for example, we’ll work very closely with the delegation in the particular state, and then they work very closely with people on the ground. This isn’t a [Washington]-driven thing, this is working with local elected officials, activists, to try to identify people who are interested in running for Congress,” he says.
Some may be ambivalent because entering the race could require them to resign from existing positions as state legislators or to sacrifice family time and income. When strong candidates are identified, Thornell says, the recruitment role can rely heavily on “talking with them about the benefits of being in a Democratic majority, being able to pass legislation that really will make a difference in their district.”
Thornell says the Democrats have more than 30 strong challengers running against Republican incumbents and another 11 vying for open seats.
And unlike Spain, he is confident the Democrats can build on their 2006 success.
“The conventional wisdom at the beginning of this cycle was that the Democrats were going to be on defense,” he says, “but that’s kind of flipped.” Thanks to the party’s ability to field strong candidates, coupled with “the unpopularity of George Bush,” Thornell says, “we’ve been able to put a significant number of Republican seats in play.”
For more information, see U.S. Elections.
