House Dems are buzzing over their
latest polling.
Recent Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) polling shows that seven Republican members would be easily defeated if their reelection took place today, the committee's chairman told House Democrats yesterday at a closed-door meeting.
While Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) did not name the members, who are from districts "around the country," he said all polled at 43 percent or less when voters were asked if they would vote today to reelect their congressional representative, sources at the meeting told The Hill.
Emanuel said three of the Republicans polled below 40 percent, including one, from a Western state, at 32 percent and another, a Californian, at 34 percent. The DCCC has targeted three California members: Reps. David Dreier, Richard Pombo and Randy "Duke" Cunningham.
The numbers created a palpable buzz in the room, said one attendee, as the assembled Democrats mulled the prospect of unseating a handful of vulnerable Republicans. Democrats have seized on recent nationwide polls showing high disapproval ratings for Congress and the president [...]
Emanuel also asserted that the party's recruiting efforts have been progressing at a fast clip. So far, the DCCC has recruited 19 candidates to challenge incumbents or run for open seats, well ahead of the three candidates the committee had at this time last cycle, he said.
"The political environment has attracted a lot of well-qualified candidates," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), who chairs the DCCC's recruiting efforts. "We've been focused on getting lots of challengers and having them file early so that if there is a mood-swing election, we're ready for it."
The thing to remember is that Republicans have an incredible ability to close out elections. Things may look good for us even a few weeks out, but lo and behold, they can close those gaps at crunch time.
Still, numbers this good, this far out, helps a great deal with fundraising and recruitment, and that's what appears to be happening.