Dold will run again. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Former Rep. Robert Dold, R-Ill, announced on Wednesday that he will officially run for Illinois’ 10th District, setting up a rematch in one of the state’s most competitive seats.
In a letter to supporters, the one-term Republican touted his moderate record and said he wants to head back to Washington to reach across party lines to solve problems. The letter was sent to supporters shortly after Roll Call reported that Dold was interviewing staffers to fill his campaign team. Full story
Dold is preparing for a rematch. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Former Rep. Robert Dold, the Illinois Republican ousted after one term in 2012, is in the final stages of planning for a rematch in the 10th District.
Multiple sources confirm to CQ Roll Call that Dold has started to interview campaign staff and is close to officially jumping into the race. Full story
If you got it, flaunt it. And in campaign fundraising, the best flaunt their numbers early.
There are several days yet until campaigns are required to file their first quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Typically, only campaigns with hauls worth bragging about release their figures early.
Here’s are the congressional campaign fundraising figures that caught our eye on Thursday:
Schneider is a freshman. (Douglas Graham/Roll Call File Photo)
Freshman Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider raised $390,000 in the first quarter of this year.
Cash-on-hand figures were not immediately available. But at the end of last year, Schneider reported only a small amount, $14,000, in the bank.
The 10th District, which includes the suburbs north of Chicago, has played host to highly competitive races for several cycles. Last year, Schneider defeated GOP Rep. Robert Dold by 1 point.
Israel leads the DCCC. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel named 26 of his colleagues to the Frontline program, a committee program designed to protect their most vulnerable incumbents.
“We call this program Frontline for a reason – these Members are on the vanguard of protecting and expanding the middle class,” Israel said in a written statement released Tuesday morning.
“While the 2014 campaign will be dominated by a strong offense taking on the Tea Party Republican Congress, our success begins with our Members,” added Israel, a Democrat from New York. “These battle-tested men and women have proven time and again that they can win because no one better reflects the values of their districts.”
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn. will spearhead the program as its chairman. He’s a Frontline alumnus as recently as the 2012 cycle.
Otherwise, the list includes several freshman members and Blue Dog Democrats:
At least three GOP House incumbents lost their seats in Illinois tonight, according to Associated Press projections.
Here is a roundup of the competitive Illinois House seats as of late tonight:
Illinois’ 8th
Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D) defeated Rep. Joe Walsh (R).
Illinois’ 11th
Former Rep. Bill Foster (D) over Rep. Judy Biggert (R).
Illinois’ 12th
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Enyart (D) defeated businessman Jason Plummer (R).
Illinois’ 17th
Former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos (D) defeated Rep. Bobby Schilling (R).
The only outstanding competitive Illinois race is for the 10th district. Almost 99 percent of precincts were reporting, but it was too close for the AP to call. Democrat Brad Schneider is challenging Rep. Robert Dold (R). Schneider was up by 1 point as this was posted.
The race for the 13th district between Rodney Davis (R) and David Gill (D) was also too close to call.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC will back Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) with $730,000 worth of television ads, according to three GOP sources tracking media buys.
Independence USA PAC’s most recent spot describes Dold as a Member with “courage, independence, results.”
Rep. Robert Dold and his 5-year-old daughter, Honor, greet a supporter at his campaign headquarters in Highland Park, Ill. (Shira Toepliz/CQ Roll Call)
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Freshman Rep. Robert Dold boasts the dubious distinction of representing the most Democratic district of any Republican Member of the House.
If he’s lucky, Dold will keep that title next year in this redrawn district north of Chicago.
“Where is Zion?” asked his daughter Harper, 10, studying an atlas from the front seat of Dold’s blue, decorated campaign bus early Saturday afternoon. “Is this the right map?”
That’s probably the same question Dold asked himself 16 months ago, when Democrats redrew the Congressional map in Illinois. Democrats unsuccessfully dumped millions into the 10th district during the past three cycles, so Dold began his first term as a top target, even before the redrawn map made his road to a second term more challenging. Full story
Rep. Jan Schakowsky campaigns with Democratic House hopefuls Tammy Duckworth and Brad Schneider at Harmony Park in Arlington Heights, Ill. (Shira Toeplitz/CQ Roll Call)
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Democratic hopes of winning the House majority have been quashed, but in this northern Chicago suburb’s crowded village hall on a Saturday morning, one can see the glimmer of what might have been.
At this single location, early voters wait an hour to cast ballots in one of three redrawn Congressional districts. The hall serves as a symbol of the extent to which Democrats redrew the lines of the state’s map to their advantage.
Throughout the cycle, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (N.Y.) repeated these words: “The road to the majority runs through Illinois.” But less than week before Election Day, it’s clear that Democrats won’t net the 25 seats needed to regain the Speaker’s gavel, and it’s equally clear they won’t make as many gains in Illinois as they had hoped. Full story
Here’s what cut through the clutter today:
Illinois 8
One of the most common Republican ad trends this cycle is featuring elderly relatives — usually parents — defending the candidate’s Medicare credentials. Rep. Joe Walsh (R) is taking another tack: In his newest ad, his son Joey defends his honor in light of a new ad from veteran Tammy Duckworth’s (D) campaign about child support problems.
Democratic House candidate Tammy Duckworth led Republican Rep. Joe Walsh in a new poll. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. — Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth (D) had a 10-point advantage over freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R) in the most recent poll of the suburban Chicago 8th district.
Duckworth led Walsh, 50 percent to 40 percent, in the Chicago Tribune poll of 600 likely voters. Notably, Duckworth led Walsh among female voters, 54 percent to 34 percent.
The new numbers come one day after Duckworth hosted Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) to discuss Walsh’s comments on abortion. Speier opened up about her own medically necessary abortion on the House floor last February.
“His most recent commentary about women accessing abortion in late-term pregnancies for medical reasons being unnecessary” Speier said on her day trip to the Chicago area. “I’m living proof it is necessary. He continues to spew out horrific misinformation.”
Forget gutter politics. One ad today is so nasty it is going straight to the toilet.
Florida 22
This ad is why we try to avoid labeling Daily Ad Track with words like “best.” At first, this ad from Republican Adam Hasner seems like a normal checklist of negative points against Democrat Lois Frankel. But at the end, it takes a grody turn. The Hasner camp did not immediately return a call requesting buy information, but the biggest question we have is, will this ad air during dinner time?
House Democrats cut more than $1 million in television time in the Philadelphia market today in addition to eliminating major reservations in Boston and Chicago, according to a Democrat who tracks media buys.
The Philadelphia cancellation for Oct. 25-29 isn’t good news for two Democratic challengers running in districts covered by that pricey television market: Pennsylvania’s 8th district and New Jersey’s 3rd district.
The elimination comes just a week after the National Republican Congressional Committee cut its big buy in the Philadelphia market, too. It’s a sign these House races aren’t as competitive as party officials anticipate (Roll Call rates both as Leans Republican).
DCCC officials countered that challengers to GOP Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Jon Runyan (N.J.) didn’t need the help.
Democrat Brad Schneider is challenging Republican Rep. Robert Dold in Illinois' 10th district. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Updated 1:30 p.m. | Freshman Rep. Robert Dold (R) and businessman Brad Schneider (D) are in a dead heat in the race for an Illinois House seat, according to a new Democratic poll released today.
Dold and Schneider each received 46 percent in the survey conducted for the Service Employees International Union and House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC.
The 10th district presents Democrats with one of their best pick-up opportunities this fall. Currently, Dold represents the most Democratic district held by a GOP House Member. What’s more, Democrats improved the 10th for their party in their redraw of the state’s Congressional map last year. Roll Call rates the race as Leans Democratic.
Democrats argue the poll is further evidence Dold is in trouble going into November.
“Bob Dold is in serious trouble because he is seriously out of step with Illinois,” said Alixandria Lapp, executive director of House Majority PAC.
Every Democratic nominee running in a competitive Illinois House district was invited to participate in a party-organized fundraiser held Friday at Chicago’s Wrigley Field — except for emergency room physician David Gill.
Gill’s exclusion from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee event signals that House Democrats have yet to commit to putting resources behind his bid for the open 13th district.
The DCCC listed five candidates on the invitation to the high-dollar fundraiser, which was headlined by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), whose district includes Wrigley Field. Among the nominees invited were Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, former Rep. Bill Foster, businessman Brad Schneider, former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos and retired Major General Bill Enyart. Democrats view the House districts where these candidates are running as some of their best pickup opportunities for November.
The fundraiser comes as Gill’s GOP opponent, Rodney Davis, announced that he raised $440,000 in six weeks. Local Republican officials selected Davis as their party’s nominee after Rep. Timothy Johnson (R) suddenly retired less than a month after winning the primary.
