RELEASE: Democratic Coalition Chairs Call For Unity With Pledge to Support All “Red to Blue” Candidates
Washington, D.C. (September 24, 2018) – In a show of Democratic unity, leadership from a broad range of Democratic Congressional coalitions today pledged to support all Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” candidates in the General Election. The Chairs of the various coalitions expressed their excitement at the diversity and energy that the aspiring lawmakers reflect.
Participants in today’s announcement include:
· Jim Himes, New Democrat Coalition Chair
· Scott Peters, NewDemPAC Chair
· Mark Pocan, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair
· Raul Grijalva, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair
· Katherine Clark, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Co-Chair
· Barbara Lee, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Co-Chair
· Jim Costa, Blue Dog Coalition Co-Chair for Administration
· Kurt Schrader, Blue Dog Coalition PAC Chair
· Gregory Meeks, Congressional Black Caucus PAC Chair
· Michelle Lujan Grisham, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair
· Tony Cardenas, Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC Chair
· Judy Chu, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair
· Grace Meng, ASPIRE PAC Chair
They issued the following joint statement:
“We are proud to unify around a diverse and exciting group of Democratic candidates who are poised to help us retake the House of Representatives and pursue an agenda that delivers for the American people.
“The Republican-led Congress has kept the focus on what separates us. They’ve put the health care of millions of Americans at risk and enacted a reckless tax giveaway on behalf of their wealthiest donors that abandons any pretense of Republican fiscal discipline. We’ve seen top priorities like infrastructure projects and immigration reform sidelined to make room for attacks on programs like Medicare and Social Security. Calls for bipartisan work on the most critical issues facing this Congress have gone unanswered.
“In contrast, our caucuses are united around a potential Democratic majority, which will move the country forward. There are scores of Democratic candidates running for office who embody the leadership, integrity and cooperation this Congress desperately needs. They come from a diverse mix of backgrounds and communities and take a varied approach to problem solving. But our candidates are bound by a desire to do good and make meaningful progress for the people they wish to represent. We stand together in offering these Democratic candidates our full and complete support.”
The DCCC describes its “Red to Blue” program as a “Highly competitive” effort that “arms top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support.” Currently, seventy-three candidates have earned “Red to Blue” status.
###