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This belongs to you. Take it back...
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DSCC 
Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 10:12:51 AM EDT
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Earlier this week, I wrote about the fundraiser for Sen. Arlen Specter that featured DSCC chair Sen. Bob Menendez that will occur later this month. Another interesting name on that invitation was Steve Pigeon, who played a huge role in the disruption of the New York State Senate.
The Pigeon connection alone isn't good for Specter. Pigeon, while a former Erie County Democratic Party chair who has been photographed with Democratic Party leaders like former President Bill Clinton, has done more to hurt the Democratic Party than help it. He has ties with Republicans, including Sen. George Maziarz, which were key in coming up with the coup plan to begin with.
Pigeon's destruction has been seen in Erie County, where he recently canceled a fundraiser benefiting Buffalo mayor Byron Brown, who has been a Pigeon ally, and where he is still wreaking havoc. It was announced earlier this week that Pigeon teamed up with Republican Chris Collins to force a Democratic primary with Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz.
For Pigeon, it's about furthering his own political agenda, not supporting the Democratic Party. That is why his support of Specter (and Specter's presumed acceptance of that support) is questionable.
But Pigeon also had some help in the coup. He admitted last week that Roger Stone was in on the action too. Stone, of course, is a shady Republican political operative who has done a lot of his own damage in New York and also has ties to Specter.
So Arlen Specter, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in late April, is siding with two characters who have been key players in the dysfunction going in the New York State Senate. Pigeon and Stone both had a hand in taking apart the Democratic majority (something both men surely got a lot of pleasure out of) and now Specter, who is trying to show just how much of a Democrat he is, is welcoming their support. Pigeon is playing a role in raising money for him and Stone has held a fundraiser in the past for Specter.
If I were the DSCC and Pennsylvania Democrats, I would be asking questions about who Specter is aligning himself with. These aren't Democrats. Roger Stone is definitely not a Democrat. Steve Pigeon might claim that he is a Democrat, but he is not. He has helped lead many fights against Democrats over the years. Specter shouldn't be aligning himself with these two individuals if he wants to be supported by Democrats, not only in Pennsylvania, but outside of Pennsylvania as well.
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Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 08:32:33 AM EDT
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(H/T to Kos, who made this a front-page story on Daily Kos yesterday.)
With the New York State Senate coup fresh on our minds, it is hard to forget the name "Steve Pigeon." Pigeon, of course, is one of the big players in the coup and why the Democrats sit here today without the majority.
Now, it seems that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (not ours here in New York, but the national one) is teaming up with Pigeon to raise money for former Republican Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.
Here is the invite:
When I was writing about different Senate races last year, I built up sources who would give me the inside scoop on those races. A few of the sources I had hailed from Western New York and discussed Pigeon's role in the 61st Senate District race when Pigeon backed Joe Mesi. Those sources told me a little bit about Pigeon's history. It wasn't pretty.
Pigeon was once the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party. The party suffered under Pigeon's leadership. One story I was told was that he threw every appointed member off the Executive Committee because they would not support his primary challenger for county clerk. Pigeon, as chair, also lost control of the Erie County Legislature on two different occasions. Now, the Legislature is firmly in Democratic hands. But under Pigeon, that was not the case.
Then there is the present. Pigeon has aligned himself with several Republicans. Sen. George Maziarz is one of the main members of that group and has had ties with Pigeon for some time now. Pigeon is a close friend of Pedro Espada's, which made the recent coup an easy sell for Pigeon. All he had to do was turn to a close friend who wanted power and tell him that it could be done.
Pigeon isn't a defender of the Democratic Party and he sure hasn't helped advance our party. When our party was failing to win, Pigeon was one of the reasons why. It is those tactics that we saw last week that are the main reason why Pigeon's approach isn't a successful one. As a Democrat, he is the worst thing for us. The evidence of that was his helping the Senate Republicans take back the New York State Senate.
Now, the DSCC wants his help raising money for Republican-turned Democrat Arlen Specter.
There is plenty wrong with that. I find it discouraging that the DSCC's chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez, is willing to team up with Pigeon (among others) to raise money on behalf of Specter. If Pigeon is supposed to be a poster boy for the Democratic Party, then our party must be headed in the wrong direction.
Steve Pigeon isn't a Democrat. He might be one on paper, but he doesn't act like it. He has done more to destroy our party than to help it. And now, the Senate Democrats want his help in raising money. The same guy that just helped the Republicans take back the New York State Senate (before it turned into gridlock at 31 to 31) and the same guy who has helped throw this state into chaos when important legislation was on the table. That's not a Democrat. That's not someone I would want to align myself with.
I would hope Sen. Menendez and the DSCC feels the same way.
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Sat May 16, 2009 at 10:11:19 AM EDT
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There is more reaction to Congressman Steve Israel's decision not to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a primary next year.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued this statement yesterday about Israel's decision.
"Steve Israel is a terrific Congressman, and the people of Long Island are lucky to have him as their fierce advocate in Washington. New Yorkers have one of the strongest Congressional delegations in the country and clearly Senator Gillibrand is making them proud as their new Senator. She's working around the clock, traveling the state, delivering for New York, and given her strong track record thus far, looks to be well-positioned for 2010. The DSCC looks forward to continuing working with her to make sure she well-prepared for her race."
After hearing similar praise of Israel over the last few days and ever since I first met Israel in January 2008, it is hard to disagree with those who say that he is, as Menendez puts it, a "fierce advocate." Israel is definitely that and he is willing to help anyone in New York, whether they live in his district or not. The 2nd congressional district is very fortunate to have Congressman Israel representing them.
But there are plenty of interesting tidbits in that statement from Menendez that pertains to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who benefited greatly from Israel deciding not to run yesterday. Sen. Menendez saying that Gillibrand is "well-positioned for 2010" and that the DSCC "looks forward to continuing working with her" shows that the DSCC might be hoping to avoid a primary.
It also helps that Sen. Chuck Schumer, who used to chair the DSCC, has been advocating for Gillibrand. Endorsements like that will help Gillibrand and could help avoid a primary that might be costly to the Democrats next year.
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Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 20:27:37 PM EST
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Our Senior Senator is calling it a day as head of the DSCC.
NY's Schumer leaving Senate election role
Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday he is giving up his job running the Senate Democrats' national campaign efforts after two successful elections.
"We've had a great run," said Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since the 2006 campaign, when he helped engineer a 6-seat gain that gave his party a slim 1-vote majority margin.
This year, the party won seven more seats, with two additional races in Minnesota and Georgia still undecided.
As head of the campaign effort, Schumer preached that candidates must be active in every part of their states, and focus on local concerns and middle-class economic issues - all of which are hallmarks of the New York senator's approach to his job.
Say what you will about Chuck (and I certainly have), but he did have one hell of a run. He took a 5 seat deficit and turned it into (at least) an 8 seat majority. In two cycles. Not bad.
It appears that the job isn't moving all that far from New York as New Jersey's Bob Menendez, a DSCC Vice-Chair, looks to be the favorite to replace him.
Well done, Chuck. Thank you.
(h/t to SSP.)
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 16:17:04 PM EST
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I was just reading Liz's post on the money trail during the New York State Senate battle and whether or not personal feelings played too strong of a role on both sides of the aisle and where the DSCC's and SRCC's money went.
On the Democratic side, the race in the 56th Senate District was one that Liz used to argue her point. The DSCC spent a lot of money on Rick Dollinger. As Liz pointed out, that race was seen as a competitive one because Dolliger is a former senator and he received key backing from Governor David Paterson, who served in the Senate with Dollinger.
But was it truly a waste? I don't think so. The results of the race show that Sen. Joe Robach only beat Dollinger by 4,889 votes. Percentage wise, that comes out to a 52-48 win for Robach. It wasn't nearly a double-digit blowout that Siena showed it to be and it wasn't a waste. There are a few other factors that come into play (like Robach's cowardly way of not telling people what party he is a member of) and in the end, Dollinger only lost by a rather small margin.
Then there is the Jim Gennaro and Frank Padavan race in SD-11. This one shocked the Republicans as Gennaro is within Padavan by 723 votes at last check. Gennaro outraised Padavan and the DSCC only invested over $4,000 in that race.
So were our priorities misplaced? As someone I talked to today said, even if we do end up losing Gennaro's seat, now we have a target for 2010. The same can or could be said for other seats, even Robach's. And as always, hindsight is 20-20. We can look back on it and now and say we should have spent more money and sent more resources there or here, but it won't do any good. Learn from our mistakes this time and make sure next time we compete in other areas.
I'm not satisfied with only two pickups. I was hoping for at least three and was really disappointed that SD-56 and/or SD-61 didn't go our way. We had great candidates in both but it didn't work out. That said, there was a time when I thought SD-11 was competitive but my opinion is only from afar. People on the ground there had other opinions and I'm sure, at the time, their opinions were quite valid. But it is hard to argue against that kind of enrollment advantage in that district. If Dollinger was targeted for, among other things, his district's enrollment advantage, Gennaro's should have been as well.
But again, 2010 looks just as good. And I think we can pick up more than two seats next time with the possibility of some special elections mixed in.
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 22:06:59 PM EDT
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"Downstate Democrats." "New York City Democrats." These are the words usually used here in upstate to describe Democrats who just happened to reside in the southern parts of New York. The Republicans have used the "upstate-downstate divide" as a way to, well, divide us. During the Joe Mesi-Mike Ranzenhofer debate today, Ranzenhofer threw around the same downstate labels that have come to divide us as if we were two separate states.
Sen. Malcolm Smith was joined by Democratic incumbents and challengers to reaffirm their commitment to rebuilding upstate and the upstate economy.
Jobs gone, homes lost and high property taxes for working families- that is the Republican record in Upstate New York. Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith was joined by Congress members Louise Slaughter and Brian Higgins, State Senators Bill Stachowski, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Antoine Thompson, Bill Perkins and John Sampson, Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, and Democratic Senate candidates Rick Dollinger, Joe Mesi and Kathy Konst to discuss the benefits a Democratic-controlled Senate would bring to Upstate New York. In 40 years of controlling the State Senate, Republicans have failed to meet the needs of working class New Yorkers, leaving Upstate New York with a crumbling economy that no longer works for its people. But change is coming.
"Fighting to protect the special interests over working families, Republicans have raised your taxes, spent your money and shipped away your jobs from Upstate New York- that's the Republican record in Albany," said Democratic Senate Leader Malcolm A. Smith. "40 years of failure is enough, it's time for change. A Democratic Majority will reduce the growth of property taxes, create and protect jobs through economic development and slash wasteful government spending," said Smith.
On a three-day trip to Upstate New York, Smith, joined by his Democratic Senate colleagues and candidates met with labor and clergy leaders to discuss their commitment to repairing the decimated Upstate economy. With various stops in Rochester and Buffalo, Smith assured families that a change in the Senate would bring a much-needed change to Upstate New York where factories have closed and jobs have been lost to overseas markets.
This past year, Senate Democrats attempted to revitalize the struggling Upstate economy and protect the homes of working families by introducing legislation to eliminate tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs and by proposing a moratorium on home foreclosures. Though families are losing their jobs and homes as the financial crisis worsens, Senate Republicans blocked both measures to protect working families.
"Special interests still control Albany and spending is out of control, but the only jobs Senate Republicans have fought to protect are their own. That ends on Election Day. Republicans have had their chance and failed. It's time for a change because New Yorkers deserve better," said Democratic Senate Leader Malcolm A. Smith.
Coming from upstate, I have heard the Republican talking points on what Democrats will do once they are elected. The hypocrisy of that is the Republicans have made Long Island their base, yet have used the downstate label against the Democrats because of New York City.
This is a great way for people to hear from the Democrats in New York and how they will approach upstate issues. We need to strive for ridding these labels from our politics, but that will take time. Right now though, we need to have the best candidates who will do the best job for New York, whether it's upstate or downstate.
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 19:38:26 PM EDT
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Remember the mysterious robocalls I told you about Friday night? It turns out that two other people contacted me and said that they had also received robocalls targeting Sen. Malcolm Smith over education funding. In all, four people said that they received these calls. Two of them were from Oswego County and one was from SD-37, where Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer is facing Republican Liz Feld. The fourth person did not disclose where they lived.
Today, the DSCC issued this statement about the robocalls that no doubt are connected to the Republicans and their efforts to remain in the majority.
"The Republicans dirty tricks are not surprising. They've been as good for education as Bush has been for the economy. That's the only way they can win after supporting Bush and running New York into the highest debt in history. While Democrats protected your child's education funding, Republicans protected their special interest friends. This new lie proves it's time for a change."
This is a dirty trick for many reasons. For starters, the people who have told me that they have received these calls all say that the call does not say where it is originating from. It's pretty obvious that it is the Republicans, considering the timing of these calls correspond with an exchange between Sen. Smith and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. When Sen. Smith said that nothing was off the table - a reference to possible spending cuts because of budget problems - Skelos responded that Smith wanted school aid cuts.
The irony here is that Skelos and his Republican Senate has supported the property tax cap, which has many educators worried that the property tax cap will hurt funding for schools. Don't take my word for it. Listen to Karen Scharff.
Of course, if you were going to mislead citizens in targeted Republican districts, you could at least say that it is you (the GOP) calling these people so that they aren't left wondering who is calling them. This was a dirty trick and it is a dirty trick we have come to expect from the Republicans here in New York.
ON THE WEB:
New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee's ActBlue Page
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Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 13:40:55 PM EDT
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You had to know this was coming after Skelos floated that big, fat curve ball right over the plate.
Statement from Austin Shafran, Spokesman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Re: Senator Skelos's Criticism of Siena Poll
"Senator Skelos's understanding of statistics and polls is equivalent to the Senate Republicans' understanding of arithmetic and budget- both ways New Yorkers lose," said Austin Shafran, spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.
Ouch.
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Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 17:24:04 PM EDT
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Liz has a great breakdown of recent campaign finance filings from the Democrats and Republicans that tell where their resources are being spent and what their primary focuses are heading into November.
On the Democratic side, the three big ones are SD-3 (Brian Foley), SD-15 (Joseph Addabbo) and SD-56 (Rick Dollinger). These seats should go without saying. In SD-15, Republican Serph Maltese narrowly won in 2006 and is vulnerable this year. Here in upstate New York, Dollinger is presenting a serious challenge to Sen. Joe Robach. Robach hasn't received the same love from the SRCC that Dollinger has received from the DSCC. Meanwhile, SD-3 is interesting. Foley is getting plenty of money and support from the DSCC and Republican Sen. Caesar Trunzo is getting backing from the SRCC. Trunzo will need it since he has apparently entered his cave for the winter.
The top target for the SRCC is Maltese, who they have invested a lot of money in hoping he keeps that seat.
The second biggest target for the SRCC? One would think either Trunzo or Robach, right? After all, their counterparts with the DSCC have invested a lot of money in SD-3 and SD-56. But neither are their second biggest target.
Actually, Barbara Donno in SD-7 (Republican challenger to Sen. Craig Johnson) is. The Republicans have spent over $142,000 on Donno, which is remarkable considering she is, at best, a long shot to Sen. Johnson. The reason for this is Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his personal issues with Sen. Johnson. I think the Republicans are crying because Sen. Johnson broke up their nine seat stranglehold out on Long Island. By January, that should be down to seven seats.
The SRCC has also invested in SD-35 (Republican John Murtagh is running against Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins) and in SD-48 (Republican David Renzi is going up against Sen. Darrel Aubertine).
There are a couple things that surprise me with the recent filings:
- The lack of money invested in Robach. I would think that they would want to keep this seat that has such a high Democratic enrollment with a candidate that has been able to win there multiple times now. Maybe they will invest more in Robach come October, but the fact they are investing more in races they can't win (SD-7) should raise some questions about what the Republican strategy is for November. Do they really think they are going to keep the majority? It sure seems that way. Of course, these are the same people saying McCain is close in New York.
- The money invested by the SRCC in SD-43 and no money being invested by the DSCC there. The GOP is investing a lot (over $84,000) to keep Bruno's old district red. Are they really worried about keeping this seat or what? It's a Republican district with a Republican assemblyman as the candidate. That's not to take away anything from Mike Russo. If the DSCC can give a modest amount of money to challengers like Kathy Konst, they should be giving up some cash to Russo in SD-43. That seat seems to be one that the Republicans are afraid to lose and the Democrats aren't interested in winning.
I will have more about these filings in my power rankings tomorrow.
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Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 11:11:45 AM EDT
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I must preface this post by saying that Sen. Chuck Schumer, the senior senator from New York, sits on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee as well as the Finance Committee. Since 2003, Schumer's top five campaign contributors include Citigroup and UBS AG (a financial services firm) with the top industry giving to Schumer being "Securities & Investment", with $1,370,339 given to Schumer since 2003.
Today, The Buffalo News discusses Schumer's Wall Street ties and supposed connections to deregulation attempts of the industry.
Schumer walks a political tightrope during Wall Street's meltdown
Sen. Charles E. Schumer prides himself on being the senator from Main Street, visiting every upstate county every year, trumpeting every federal grant and diving deep into local issues such as a proposed new Peace Bridge.
But all the while, he also has been the senator from Wall Street, supporting major efforts to deregulate the financial sector while raising millions from securities industry sources not only for his own campaign fund, but for Democratic Senate prospects nationwide.
It's a balancing act that saw Schumer adding community-building provisions to a massive deregulation bill and sounding an early warning about predatory mortgage lending while pushing more deregulation to preserve New York's status as the world's financial capital.
But now, as the American financial system last week faced its gravest crisis since the Great Depression, Schumer faced it, too - along with some criticism that he, along with his congressional colleagues, did not do enough to prevent it.
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Schumer introduced the first bill to curb predatory mortgage practices a year and a half ago, but by then, home prices were grossly inflated and due for a crash, and another problem lurked behind the scenes.
Through unregulated derivatives called "credit default swaps," American International Group, the insurance giant, insured tens of billions of dollars in mortgage bonds against default. But when those loans went bad, so did AIG - and the government had to rush in with a bailout.
Roper blamed it on this law that Congress passed in 2000 for leaving those credit default swaps and other derivatives without strong regulatory oversight.
"We interconnected the financial services industry in such a way and to a degree that a single player [AIG] has the power the take out the global economy," she said. "How do you let that happen?"
Schumer, on the contrary, blames the Bush administration.
"The [Securities and Exchange Commission] should have done the job," he said. "They had the power to regulate. They didn't."
Obviously, Schumer being from New York is the reason why this article was written. I don't believe he is the sole reason for this. I'm with Schumer on this one. I believe that the Bush Administration and this Republican deregulation mentality is what helped Wall Street crumble.
By the way, there is a great about the subprime mortgage crisis and avoiding the "next financial crisis." The book is Financial Shock: A 360ยบ Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis. It's worth a read. It doesn't cover everything here, but it explains an important part of this crisis.
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Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 17:15:02 PM EDT
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After a couple weeks with no New Yorkers in the top ten on ActBlue, the New York State Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has cracked the top ten, raising $25,000 for the week of September 8-14.
This is what ActBlue had to say about the DSCC's performance:
7. NY Democratic Senate Campaign Committee
Senate Democrats in New York have launched a campaign to recapture the State Senate, aiming to win two seats in 2004, two in 2006, and three in 2008. The Committee has beaten the odds, winning five seats in the last three years, and is "on the edge of taking back the State Senate for the first time in four decades."
The NYS DCCC is working to court high-dollar donors.
Here is how the whole top ten shaped out:
Barack Obama | President | $111,436.65
Kay Hagan | NC-Sen | $109,177.53
Gary Peters | MI-09 | $32,196.27
Rick Noriega | TX-Sen | $31,790.73
Equality for All | $28,320.00
Tom Udall | NM-Sen | $26,509.52
NY Democratic Senate Campaign Committee | $25,000.00
Jeanne Shaheen | NH-Sen | $23,255.67
Gavin Newsom | CA-Gov | $22,860.00
Larry Kissell | NC-08 | $22,075.30
That's a great way for the DSCC. I know that they said they are targeting high dollar donors, but this is ActBlue. We ALL can give, especially to this great cause.
ON THE WEB:
NYSDSCC's ActBlue Page
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Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 12:41:35 PM EDT
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The NY DSCC is hitting mailboxes in SD-56 with new mailers slamming incumbent GOP Senator Joe Robach. They don't exactly pull any punches. Of course, Robach is a, shall we say, a target rich environment.
More on the flip...
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Sun Jun 08, 2008 at 03:11:32 AM EDT
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No, not that infrastructure.
I'm talking about our Democratic infrastructure. If we are going to take our country back this November, we all need to step up to the plate in whatever way we can.
Nothing beats volunteering our time and energy, but for many of us folks doing the 9-to-5 thing, donating money also allows us to make a difference without having to move our collective tuckases out of our chairs. Please consider giving to or volunteering for one or more of the following organizations/campaigns:
First, there is BarackObama.com. While you're there, you can donate money,
phonebank, or drop Hillary a "thank you."
Then there's the DNC. The national party is the only area where the Republicans have any cash advantage over us. You can donate, or even better, you can purchase a democracy bond, where you give a recurring contribution every month. While you're there, you can also participate in one of the most innovative grassroots strategies in a long time. It's called the Neighborhood Volunteer Program; essentially, they send you a list of 25 targeted voters in your area and between now and election day, you visit each one of them three times. Studies show this is a very effective way to reach people. For New York, this doesn't really matter on the Presidential level, but for those of you living in one of our closely contested NY Senate districts, this can be the difference between a Democratic and Republican Senate next year. And finally, don't forget to join Partybuilder.
Finally, on the national level, you can donate money to the DCCC or the DSCC. And definitely don't forget to contribute to Jon Powers, Eric Massa, and Dan Maffei through Actublue, right through the banner on the left side of our own Albany Project!
On the State level, we are incredibly close to overthrowing the Republican stranglehold on our legislature. You can donate to or volunteer for the New York State Senate Democratic Campaign.
Ourside of party organizations, there are independent organizations helping Democrats everywhere, to which you can also support. One great example is MoveOn. They are important because while is seems like Obama is going to run a mostly positive campaign, MoveOn has no qualms about running devastating attack ads against McCain over the television airwaves. On top of that, MoveOn will give you a free Obama bumper sticker.
Other great independent organizations are Democracy for America and VoteVets.
And finally, if you really have a lot of cash on hand, you can consider donating to one of the State Democratic Parties of swing states. Some examples are Ohio, Colorado, or Virginia
Can we make a Democratic landslide this November? Yes. We. Can.
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Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 14:54:14 PM EST
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Earlier today I spoke on the phone with someone who had worked on the Aubertine campaign. They told me about this new voter tracking system that I've been hearing about for weeks now, the system that Bruno's boys thought was going to win them the election that should have never been close. Basically, the GOP assigns their voters in each ED a barcode and equips their poll watchers a blackberry type device with a barcode scanner attached. Every time a code is scanned it's instantly relayed to GOoPer HQ and they know who has voted and who to send the body snatchers for. The staffer I spoke to earlier laughed as he said, "I'd rather have 100 WFP folks working their tails off than a barcode scanner any day." Well, behold the results:
The first thing that should jump out at you is the higher turnout in the northern and central parts of the district, Aubertine's homebase and the areas encompassing much of his AD. Then check out the southern part, Barclay's turf. It appears that many of Barclay's folks did what Danger Democrat figured they might do a few days ago, namely "vote with their fanny."
But, that's only part of the story. The really significant take away here is how the DSCC crew on site (which was run by Nathan Smith) along with the WFP's folks working their tails off simply outhustled Bruno's boys. They turned out their people in the ED's that they needed to.
Barclay's campaign didn't.
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Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 15:32:57 PM EST
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That's quite a chunk of change considering that tthey raised about $2.5 million in 2006.
Senate Dems looking to raise $8 million
What is it going to take for Democrats to take over control of the state Senate next year? About $8 million, Assembly Minority Leader Malcolm Smith figures.
The Democrats need to pick up two seats to gain control of the Senate for the first time since 1965. And that was only for a year, the only break in GOP control since 1938.
Smith said the Dems will go hard after probably four seats, including those held by Republicans Joseph Robach and James Alesi in Monroe County, Caesar Trunzo in Suffolk County and Kemp Hannon in Nassau County.
Some other seats now held by the GOP - including tom Morahan's in Rockland County and two in Queens- may also be in play, he said.
The Democrats are counting on a huge turnout by Democrats because of the likelihood that Hillary Clinton will be at the top of the ticket.
$8 million would be quite a feat and everyone knows that the battle for the state Senate next year will be both vicious and, because of where those targeted seats are, extremely expensive.
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Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:25:27 AM EDT
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Over at the Daily Gotham, our friend Bouldin interviews Doug Forand of the New York Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. It's an interesting piece and I hope you'll go check it out. Here's a taste:
TDG: What role do you see the New York blogosphere and the netroots generally playing in the 2008 election for the State Senate?
Doug Forand: I think that down ballot races, such as State Senate races, are the next frontier where we're likely to see a real impact by blogosphere. From the breakthrough impact on the 2004 presidential campaigns to last year's Congressional races (the work by Take 19 in the John Hall district being a great example), each successive election cycle has seen an increased impact due to new media and electronic organizing. That being said, State Senate and other down ballot races are really in their infancy when it comes to being prepared to capitalize off of this medium, whether it's in organizing, communications, or fundraising. That's a challenge we have to address.
Looking specifically at New York's blogosphere, I see huge potential for State Senate races. The blogs' readership tends to represent a strong progressive base, and moving this base to a point where they recognize the importance of State Senate races can motivate them to be more involved in those races will pay significant dividends. The blogs' coverage of our races, our candidates and our opponents will influence how the main stream media perceives and covers the races. Finally, the blogs' influence can translate into fundraising support for our candidates and our committee.
Go read the whole thing.
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Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:16:55 AM EDT
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The New York Democratic Senate Campaign Committee is launching a new website today, dscc.net. From an emailed press release:
As part of its continuing effort to expand support for a Democratic State Senate Majority, the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) today launched the Netroots component of its campaign, which is geared towards engaging activists online through the website www.dscc.net.
The website is a part of DSCC's larger strategy to organize local Netroots activists and build support for their effort to break gridlock in Albany and change the status quo in the state senate.
"We recognize that with the advent of political blogs, social networking, online videos and other forms of new media, people expect political parties to use technology to better connect themselves to voters and create a two-way dialogue to bring constituencies together around a common set of ideas," said Bill Samuels, DSCC Chairperson.
"Online and offline, we will work across the state to involve voters in a substantive dialogue on the issues at stake in the 2008 campaign," Samuels said.
Samuels said the approach is part of a longer term effort to coordinate with the New York State Democratic Party to seize the historic opportunity to involve citizens in the Albany legislative process and bring transparency and accountability to its day-to-day work.
"We are working with the DSCC county by county to rebuild our community of activists and get the word out about why we need to break the three decades of gridlock in Albany," said David Pollak, Co-chair of the State Democratic Party. "Engaging and connecting voters online is an important part of that effort."
DSCC's website includes current political and issue-oriented news, biographies of Senate Democratic members and candidates, and information about the Senate Democratic Conference's "9-to-5 Agenda."
Samuels said that includes such '9-to-5' issues as: paid family leave, affordable housing, lower property taxes, greater access to healthcare, protecting a woman's right to choose, a cleaner environment and better schools. Each issue has been the backbone of recent Democratic legislative proposals in the State Senate and will remain the focus of upcoming political campaigns.
"These issues resonate strongly with the vast majority of New Yorkers who are aching to break the gridlock in Albany," said Samuels. "This popular support is why our agenda is so powerful and charged with potential."
Samuels noted that a strong Internet presence is critical to reaching the many young voters who seek a place in the sprawling political landscape. According to Young Voter Strategies' latest polling analysis, young voters are "expressing levels of interest in the 2008 elections as high or higher than adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s."
After a quick look at the new site, I can certainly say that it's worlds better than the awful old static page with a "donate" button that the DSCC used to have. There are still some holes in the new site (the "videos" page has no videos, for example) and I'm curious to see what functionality there really is for organizing "local netroots activists". I'm assuming it's there somewhere, though I don't really see it. It's also worth noting that "local netroots activists" aren't often properly described as "young voters", though there is certainly some overlap. They exist, but this isn't so much a young person's medium, at least not in the way many seem to think. It can be tempting for those late to the party to confuse young technologies and uses of those technologies for youth itself.
That said, the site is a great leap forward for the DSCC. It's light years beyond anything they've ever done before and demonstrates that they are indeed taking this medium seriously. That in and of itself is a sea change in their thinking and a development that I heartily applaud.
Bravo.
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Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 13:15:03 PM EST
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The DCCC has just announced that New York Reps John Hall (NY-19), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20) and Michael Arcuri (NY-24) have been added to their "Frontline" program, which "lays the ground work for the 2008 cycle by supporting and expanding their fundraising and outreach operations." 29 Reps were chosen overall and it's good to see D-trip is going to go all out for Hall, Gillibrand and Arcuri. The GOP wants those seats back awfully bad and they're gonna make a serious run at them. CW is that Gillibrand is the more vulnerable of the three, though I think that she'll be just fine.
From the press release:
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Frontline Program, said: "Our Frontline Members inspired the confidence of their constituents during their campaigns for Congress. They made the commitment to move our country in a new direction. They are our Majority Makers. The Frontline program will build on their strengths, providing them with the money, message and strategy they need to successfully position themselves for reelection in 2008."
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The Frontline Program is a partnership between the DCCC and Members which lays the ground work for the 2008 cycle by supporting and expanding their fundraising and outreach operations. This competitive program requires members to meet aggressive fundraising goals, accelerate volunteer and recruitment efforts, and increase on-line networking.
The full roster on the flip...
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Mon Jan 08, 2007 at 08:00:00 AM EST
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It looks like the lackluster performance of the DSCC in last November's elections (or perhaps, her support for state Senator Eric Schniederman for Minority Leader) has finally caught up to now former head of the DSCC, state Senator Liz Krueger. New Senate Minority Leader Malcom Smith has ousted her from the top spot there.
From the NYT's new Albany Notebook Column:
Senator Malcolm A. Smith of Queens, the new Senate minority leader, has ousted Senator Liz Krueger of Manhattan as leader of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, even though the party gained four seats in the 62-member Senate in the two elections she presided over. Ms. Krueger's fortunes were not helped by her support for Senator Eric T. Schneiderman of Manhattan in his unsuccessful bid for the minority leadership.
The chairmanship will be split among three people. Senator Antoine M. Thompson of Buffalo, a freshman legislator, will be in charge of campaigns, taking a top role. Senator Diane J. Savino of Staten Island will run candidate recruitment, and Senator Jeffrey D. Klein of Westchester will handle fund-raising. Mr. Smith is also creating a board to oversee the committee, which will include Ms. Krueger and Mr. Schneiderman.
"I want to make sure we have as many members as possible engaged," Mr. Smith said in an interview, adding that the leaders of the committee should "understand the complexity of the state. Heretofore, it's been fragmented - upstate, downstate."
Interesting...
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