The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield politically notable or close elections. The structure of the committee consists, essentially, of the Chairperson (who according to current Democratic Caucus rules is a fellow member of the Caucus appointed by the party leader in the House), their staff, and other democratic members of Congress that serve in roles supporting the functions of the committee (candidate recruitment, fundraising, etc.).
The Chairperson of the DCCC is the fifth ranking position among House Democrats, after the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, and the Democratic Caucus Chair.
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[edit] History
The DCCC was founded in 1866 as the Democratic National Congressional Committee.
Due to campaign-finance reform legislation effected in the 2004 election cycle, the DCCC splits into two organizations a few months before each Election Day. One organization(the "Coordinated" campaign) can continue to stay in contact with the individual congressional campaigns, offering advice and suggestions to candidates and their staffs in each race. The other organization (the "Independent Expenditure" campaign), which makes independent expenditures in congressional districts on behalf of the campaigns, is not allowed to coordinate activities with the campaigns. In recent elections, the DCCC has played an expansive role in supporting Democratic candidates with independently produced TV ads and mail pieces.
The position of DCCC committee chair was assumed by Rahm Emanuel after the death of the previous chair, Bob Matsui at the end of the 2004 election cycle. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2006 elections. After Emanuel's election as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the 110th Congress, and thus for the 2008 elections. He continued through the 2010 elections. For the 2012 election cycle, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed congressman Steve Israel to serve as the committee's chair.
[edit] List of Chairs
| Name | State | Term of Service |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick J. Kennedy | RI | 1999-2001 |
| Nita Lowey | NY | 2001-2003 |
| Bob Matsui | CA | 2003-2005 |
| Rahm Emanuel | IL | 2005-2009 |
| Chris Van Hollen | MD | 2007-2011 |
| Steve Israel | NY | 2011- |
[edit] See also
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- National Republican Congressional Committee
- National Republican Senatorial Committee