By Chris Cillizza Washington Post
Hoping to counter a series of Republican efforts aimed at winning governorships and state legislatures in advance of the decennial congressional redistricting process the Democratic Governors Association is launching its own venture led by veteran party strategist Harold Ickes.
Ickes who served as one of the top operatives in
Hillary Rodham Clintons presidential campaign characterized his role as fundraiser in chief (I dont do strategy he says wryly) for the effort which is being called Project SuRGe (Stop Republican Gerrymandering). While acknowledging that redistricting is a tougher sell to donors than a presidential race or Senate contest -- Its in the weeds Ickes says -- he sees his job as explaining to people the implications of redistricting at the federal level.
Republicans have clearly grasped the importance of controlling the
line-drawing process.
The Republican State Leadership Committee a group funded in 2002 and dedicated to winning state legislative races has recently been taken over by a whos who of national Republicans including Ed Gillespie a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and former National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Tom Reynolds of New York. (Ickes praised Gillespie as formidable.)
The RSLC is far from the only
GOP organization focused on redistricting. The American Majority Project a tax-exempt group that can accept unlimited donations was created this year with the support of among others former Florida governor Jeb Bush former Republican National Committee
chairman Mike Duncan and campaign lawyer Ben Ginsberg.
And there is also GOPAC an organization dedicated to recruiting grooming and electing Republicans at the local level.
That Ed Gillespie Mississippi Gov.
Haley Barbour and former White House adviser Karl Rove are all publicly focusing on governors races gives some indication that this is a serious matter Ickes said.
Ickes would not detail the budget for Project SuRGe but sources familiar with the plans suggested the group would spend several million dollars. For the year the DGA hopes to raise $30 million -- nearly double what the committee brought in during the 2006 cycle. The Republican Governors Association is no financial slouch itself reporting $25 million in the bank at the start of the year.
There are 37 governors races this November including contests in the most populous states.
A handful of those states -- Texas California Ohio and Pennsylvania top the list -- will get special attention from both parties. Thats because they are slated to either gain or lose House seats in the
reapportionment process in which the 435 House seats are allocated based on population increases and decreases found in the 2010 Census.
Controlling the governorship and the state legislatures in those states could make a difference of several House seats in each state for the better part of the next decade.
Our donors know that the effects of redistricting are far greater than a typical congressional cycle -- these lines which Republicans promise to draw to give themselves a
partisan advantage will last for the next decade said DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle.
Big job for Smoot
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has asked Brian Smoot a longtime party hand to direct its independent-expenditure efforts this fall. Its an enormous undertaking in which he must smartly spend tens of million of dollars on a dozen or so of the most competitive contests in the country.
Smoot began his career in Washington as chief of staff to
Rep. Rodney Alexander (La.) but left in 2004 when Alexander switched from Democrat to Republican. Smoot did a stint as chief of staff for Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) before serving as political director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 2008 election cycle.
Chairman
Robert Menendez has made clear that for Democrats to be successful this election must be a choice between Republicans standing up
for Washingtons special interests and Democrats standing up for the voters interests Smoot said. I am looking forward to making sure that voters face that choice in November.
During the 2008 cycle the independent expenditure program for the DSCC which is barred by law from having any direct contact with the committee or any campaign spent roughly $70 million -- primarily on television ads -- under the leadership of Jim Jordan then the DSCCs executive director.
Unlike in 2008 however Democrats are playing far more defense this cycle thanks to several unexpected retirements (Indiana North Dakota) and a national playing field tilting against them.
