NRCC Weekly Rundown: NRCC outraises DCCC, Obama’s Guantanamo plan, more problems for Ami Bera, and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRCC Weekly Rundown:
National: The NRCC outraised the DCCC in January according to the latest fundraising numbers, and also holds a $1.5 million advantage in cash on hand.
National: On Tuesday, President Obama announced his long awaited plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and move the dangerous terrorists held there to U.S. soil. Unsurprisingly, new polling this week shows that voters are strongly opposed to his plan. Democrat representatives and challengers will have to decide whether to stand with voters or a lame duck president.
National: As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue their primary fight, a new poll showed that a majority of Democrats support socialism. This illustrates just how far the Democratic party has strayed from the mainstream of American politics, and presents a challenge to Democrats in swing districts.
CA-07: Local Democrats continued to pile on Ami Bera this week, as Sacramento Democrats for Truth accused Bera of accepting campaign contributions from donors with large overseas investments. This comes just days before the California Democratic Convention, where Bera will have to fight for his own party’s endorsement.
CA-24: A new report showed that Salud Carbajal and his wife had three federal tax liens filed against them, as well as between $35,001 and $80,000 in credit card debt. Carbajal can’t manage his own finances, yet wants a say in the federal budget.
CO-06: Morgan Carroll got her wish this week, when President Obama announced his plan to move Guantanamo detainees to U.S. soil. Carroll support’s the president’s plan, even it results in those detainees being moved to Colorado.
NY-22: Multimillionaire New York job killer Kim Myers was in DC this week to meet with Nancy Pelosi about a run for Congress. Myers made her money by exporting 1,000 jobs out of New York to a state with lower taxes, and will now attempt to buy a seat in Congress where she will fight to raise taxes.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Dems on their own? Republicans claim Clinton coattails ‘fraying’
“The significant holes in House Democrats’ recruiting efforts not only proves that their initial confidence in riding Hillary’s coattails is misplaced, but also that they have no hope of recapturing the House majority in 2016,” Katie Martin, communications director for the NRCC, told FoxNews.com. READ
House passes Rep. John Katko’s bills to combat terrorist travel, reform TSA
Two homeland security bills sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Katko were approved Tuesday by the House of Representatives. The measures — the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act and the Transportation Security Administration Reform and Improvement Act — received bipartisan support in the House. READ
Congressmen want answers surrounding Americans traveling to Iraq, Syria to support for ISIS
A bill aiming to stop Americans from providing support for ISIS is on its way to the Senate. Congressman Will Hurd’s (R-TX) legislation passed unanimously through the House. It asks for the Obama administration to keep a close eye on possible terrorist helpers. Congress wants to stop ISIS supporters on the homeland before they get a chance to travel to a war zone in Iraq or Syria. READ
Obama call to close Guantanamo prison panned by Arizona GOP lawmakers
But lawmakers were not the only ones to weigh in: The National Republican Congressional Committee sent a flurry of emails shortly after the announcement asking Democratic congressional hopefuls if they “want to bring terrorists to the U.S.” by standing by the president. READ
NRCC calls on Charlie Crist and Eric Lynn to oppose Obama’s GITMO closure plan
“It is unconscionable for Charlie Crist and Eric Lynn to stand silently as President Obama moves forward with his irresponsible plan and puts safety of Americans at risk,” said NRCC Communications Director Katie Martin. “Charlie Crist and Eric Lynn need to start standing up for the American people instead of letting a lame duck president steamroll our national security as he heads toward the exit.” READ
Colorado Lawmaker Vows to Keep Guantanamo Bay Open
During an interview with the FOX Business Network’s Gerri Willis, Colorado Representative Mike Coffman discussed why it would be wrong to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to American soil, let alone Colorado soil. “We have a bipartisan opposition in bringing these terrorists on to U.S. soil and so I don’t think there’s a question that this is going to go anywhere. The president obviously wants to frame us for political purposes. That’s fine, but the fact is that they should not come onto U.S. soil and be afforded all the due rights, processes and protections given to those legally in this country,” he said. READ
McSally gets good re-election news
And the cold hard reality of cold hard cash drives a lot the decisions made by the DCCC (as well as the National Republican Congressional Committee). They have limited resources and a big map — and at this point, they’re committing those funds elsewhere. READ
House passes bills to rein in terrorist travel
Lawmakers noted that a House Homeland Security Committee task force recently found that the executive branch had not offered a government-wide plan for reining in terrorist travel in a decade. “There is no regular process in place in the executive branch for reviewing all of our defenses against terrorist travel gaps and develop a plan to close them,” said Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.). READ
Garcia vs. Taddeo primary fight drives rift between House Dems
Rather than backing former Rep. Joe Garcia — who lost his seat in 2014 to Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo — the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed his primary opponent, Annette Taddeo. That’s got Garcia’s allies in Congress up in arms. “This has us all pissed off. You have to be kidding me? What did [Joe] do wrong? What did he do to deserve this?” said California Rep. Juan Vargas. “We have no problem with [Taddeo] running, but she shouldn’t get any help. You don’t leave a brother out there like this.” READ