WASHINGTON — Roll Call got its hands on a list of 17 House Republicans targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for a “grass-roots push over the August recess,” and Minnesota Reps. John Kline and Erik Paulsen are on it.
On Monday, a DCCC aide sent a message to an email list sponsored by Americans United for Change, a liberal organization, describing the committee’s plans for the month-long break and including the warning, “please do not share this list with press.”
“In the majority of these districts we have field staffers on the ground, coordinated through the respective state parties, to define and hold accountable vulnerable Republican incumbents, through earned media tactics, messaging amplification, and community outreach,” wrote Ryan Daniels, the deputy national press secretary and African-American media adviser.
The DCCC’s list includes some of this cycle’s most-often mentioned vulnerable Republicans, but there are some lesser-known targets as well …
Kline is generally on the list of lawmakers Democratic groups want to target in 2014 — the House Majority PAC, for instance, has already spent about $50,000 on online ads against him. But Paulsen, who has won re-election by double-digits each of the last two years, typically isn’t considered a top target.
However, Democrats have previously called Kline and Paulsen “persuadable” on the issue of immigration reform, and local advocates have said the same: they’ll look to use the recess to pressure those two (and conservative Democrat Collin Peterson) to support reform during the recess. (Here’s an overview of what Kline, Paulsen and other Republicans had to say about immigration reform last month.)
Pertinent to all this, the Strib’s Corey Mitchell today looks at August recess strategies from both the Organizing for Action activist group and House Republicans, who are looking to rally some anti-Affordable Care Act sentiment over the next four weeks.
Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com
