Deep Sran, a Democratic candidate running in Virginia’s 10th congressional district. Image via deepforcongress.com.

By Michael Tracey

The chairperson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, last week sent an email to House candidates announcing “fundraising goals” which some candidates see as wildly exorbitant and an attempt to force out disfavored Democrats long before primary elections are held. Two campaigns separately provided TYT with their emails.

It is unclear whether all Democratic House candidates received the email; also unclear is the range of fundraising goals that were set. Both emails reviewed by TYT said their goals were “tailor-made” for each candidate. The DCCC did not respond to a request for comment.

Deep Sran, a Democratic candidate running in Virginia’s 10th congressional district to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock, was told that he should raise $500,000 by March 31, the end of the fundraising quarter. Virginia’s 10th congressional district includes suburbs of Washington, D.C., which is among the country’s most expensive media markets.

“Of course, your DCCC fundraising goal is not the sole benchmark of a successful campaign,” Luján wrote in the email, “but achieving your quarterly goal is an important factor as we distribute resources to your race.” Luján also did not respond to TYT’s request for comment.

Email from DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján to a congressional primary candidate.

“I don’t know whether the Chairman intended to scare candidates out of their races with these goals, but I do know that the DCCC has already raised money for their recruited candidate in my district,” Sran said. “And this email’s hollow offer of support does nothing to convince me that they intend to do anything meaningful for the other eight candidates.”

A DCCC vice-chairman, Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), sent a fundraising email last year on behalf of Jennifer Wexton, the candidate in the VA-10 race widely seen as having the national party’s backing.

Since the DCCC sent out a “memo of understanding” in December 2017, which TYT first reported, some candidates have expressed concerns that the party apparatus is attempting to play favorites in primary races, disadvantaging populist insurgents and rewarding those who can raise large amounts of money through traditional channels. One provision in the memo, which candidates were asked to sign, was that candidates would agree to employ the DCCC’s roster of consultants and spend a specific amount—75 percent of all funds raised—on “paid communications.”

The Intercept reported last week that the DCCC has consistently favored candidates who exhibit the most fundraising prowess, even though such prowess demonstrated diminishing efficacy in the 2016 election cycle, and even if the best fundraisers in a given district might not best align with a shifting national mood.

The email sent last week by Luján continues in this pattern. One campaign operative, who works for a second candidate who received the email, said it represented an attempt to make candidates ingratiate themselves to the party’s donor class. “Basically, it’s more ‘play ball with our big donors’ or you are screwed,” said the operative, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the campaign. That candidate, who is running in a mid-tier market, less expensive than Northern Virginia, was told to raise $400,000 in the first quarter of 2018.

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