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Ellison's Must Read of the Day

Ellison must read

My must read of the day is "Red-State Dems Form ‘Blue Senate 2014’ Joint PAC," in the Weekly Standard:

On August 13, Blue Senate 2014 registered with the Federal Election Commission as a joint fundraising committee, a sort of political fundraising co-op that allows like-minded candidates to raise and pool funds. The campaign committees of Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Natalie Tennant of West Virginia, and Michelle Nunn of Georgia are listed as participants in Blue Senate 2014. Each hail from states Barack Obama lost in 2012 and, in the cases of Landrieu, Tennant, and Nunn, from states the Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t won since 1996 or earlier. In addition, the campaign committee of Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is listed as an additional participant in the joint committee.

According to the FEC filing documents, Blue Senate 2014 "collects contributions, pays fundraising expenses, and disburses net proceeds" on behalf of all five Democrats’ campaigns. The group’s treasurer is Judith Zamore, a veteran of Democratic campaigns including Sherrod Brown’s successful 2006 Senate run in Ohio. Zamore is described at her firm’s website as having done "extensive work in the area of joint fundraising agreements [that] has been unparalleled." The listed address for Blue Senate 2014 is in Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

From Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) to these five Senators, more and more Democrats are running their campaigns as independents who are not afraid to "stand up to the Obama administration’s progressive agenda."

Officially, there are 244 Democrats in the 113th Congress and many aren’t doing this, but the persistent pattern among candidates and lawmakers in red states highlights how difficult the electoral environment is for Democrats right now. Midterms historically favor Republicans, and the president’s disapproval certainly isn’t helping his party counter it.

The most vulnerable Democrats are trying to walk a tight rope. They have to appeal to the general electorate, who are displeased with Congress in general and their party head in particular, but they have to do it without alienating their base or donors.

It’s difficult to do that last part when much of the campaign rhetoric centers on, promises to defy the administration, but the more you listen to their campaigns, it’s clear that this type of fundraising group is smart and likely a necessity.