Democrats Are Pushed To Raise $154 Million for Party

WASHINGTON — Rep. Niki Tsongas has been in the House for less than a month, winning a special election for a vacant Massachusetts seat, and already she has marching orders to find $104,000 to help other Democrats.That’s small change, though, compared with her Massachusetts colleague, Rep. Barney Frank, who heads the Financial Services Committee. Like other powerful House chairmen, Mr. Frank is expected to come up with at least $1.5 million to help elect Democrats to the chamber. House Democrats, eager to hold on to their new majority in the 2008 elections, are seeking to raise a record $154 million for the party from incumbent lawmakers — more than four times the amount Republicans are trying to collect. An October 24 tally sheet obtained by Bloomberg News outlines goals for each lawmaker. Together, they are being pressed to transfer $50 million in “dues” from their re-election war chests to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and to raise another $104 million from outside donors.“It’s breathtaking,” Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida said. Mr. Boyd is being asked to produce $450,000 in dues and donations for the party because he serves on the Appropriations Committee, which controls government expenditures.The fund-raising demands reflect the party’s power structure. Leaders such as the House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, are expected to give the most and newcomers including Ms. Tsongas, the widow of Senator Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts, the least.Ms. Pelosi, who joined with other leaders in setting the goals for the House’s 237 Democratic lawmakers and nonvoting delegates, is to raise a total of $25.8 million. The majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and the majority whip, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, are each expected to produce a total of $3.3 million. Funds transferred from members’ campaign accounts to the party committees have taken on added importance since Congress in 2002 banned unlimited donations to national parties. The law doesn’t prohibit candidates from raising money and transferring it to their parties in unlimited amounts. And, unlike the banned “soft money,” these donations can be used directly to help elect specific Democratic candidates.The demands are creating cozier relationships between lawmakers and special interests, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based watchdog group, Bill Allison, said.“The fact that they’re raising so much money by interests before their committees is something the public should be concerned about,” Mr. Allison said.The National Republican Congressional Committee has a much-smaller goal this two-year election cycle of $33 million, including dues from members and all other funds raised, the chairman, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, said. Mr. Cole said he is concerned his party is lagging behind.“Far be it for me to chastise them for being successful,” Mr. Cole said of the Democrats’ goal. “There is a winner’s premium when you win the majority.”Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, declined to comment on the party’s fund raising. “The DCCC has a policy of not publicly discussing our dues program,” Mr. Thornell said.That program calls for chief deputy whips to transfer $300,000 of their war chests to the DCCC and convince donors to give another $500,000.Chairmen of the most powerful committees — Appropriations, Energy, and Commerce, Financial Services, Ways and Means, and Rules — are supposed to pay $500,000 in dues and raise another $1 million for the DCCC. Members of those panels must each contribute $450,000.Heads of other committees such as the Judiciary and Oversight panels have a combined goal of $500,000, and subcommittee chairmen are asked to contribute $250,000. Members of those committees are expected to come up with $200,000.About 90 House Democrats hadn’t made any dues contribution as of October 24, including the Appropriations Committee chairman, Rep. David Obey, and the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Rep. John Dingell.Some Democrats are grumbling about Messrs. Dingell and Obey declining to contribute their own campaign donations toward the party dues. Mr. Dingell has raised $420,680 directly for the party and Mr. Obey $17,000, according to the October 24 DCCC document.“With all due respect, it’s none of your business,” Mr. Obey said about his party-committee fund raising. “It’s none of anybody’s business.”

Democrats Are Pushed To Raise $154 Million for Party

Democrats Are Pushed To Raise $154 Million for Party

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