* Press release…
DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos today announced Betsy Dirksen Londrigan in the first round of candidates the DCCC is naming to its highly competitive Red to Blue program.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan has earned a spot on the DCCC’s Red to Blue program by surpassing aggressive goals for grassroots engagement, local support, campaign organization and fundraising. Beyond Betsy’s demonstrated ability to build a winning campaign infrastructure, she has a strong record of service, an authentic message that connects with voters in her district and deep ties to the communities she aims to serve.
“Betsy Dirksen Londrigan knows from personal experience the worry and tough decisions families face when confronted with the diagnosis of an unexpected illness, and she will be the advocate for working families that the residents of central Illinois need in Congress,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said. “Betsy is running for Congress to champion access to affordable health care, lower the price of prescription drugs and to end the corruption that has plagued our political process. With strong grassroots support and momentous fundraising on her side, Betsy is ready to unseat Congressman Rodney Davis in 2020.”
“Because of the strength of Democratic candidates running in 2020 we are on path to protect and expand the most diverse House Majority in American history,” said Bustos. “These Red to Blue candidates are veterans, farmers, doctors, public servants and advocates who are committed to serving their communities and ensuring they will finally have a voice in Congress.”
Red to Blue is a highly competitive and battle-tested DCCC program that arms top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue to develop strong campaigns. Additionally, through Red to Blue the DCCC provides strategic guidance, staff resources, candidate trainings and more.
* Meanwhile…
The Trump campaign has announced a major effort it calls “unprecedented” to have surrogates campaigning on behalf of the president on Monday, Feb. 3, the day the Iowa caucuses are behind held.
Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Senior Campaign Advisor Lara Trump, National Chair of Trump Victor Finance Committee Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Campaign Manager Brad Parscale will lead a group of over 80 surrogates across the state of Iowa.
“Our Caucus Day operation is just a preview of what is to come,” said Parscale. “We are putting the Democrats on notice— good luck trying to keep up with this formidable reelection machine.”
Caucus day campaign surrogates include: […]
Congressman Rodney Davis (IL)
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 9:58 am:
Never go full Trump.
Well, unless you need old, angry, rural white voters to save you in a district that has some city or a university.
Knowing Davis is not only supporting Trump but is stumping for Trump in another state, to call Davis thoughtful to truth or integrity… to inclusion or a big tent, Davis is no better than the worst of the Trumpkins as he travels outside his district, purposely, to support the impeached Trump, no matter how ridiculous it is.
The lone good thing, Trump allowed me to see folks *exactly* as they are.
- The monster - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:01 am:
Please Rodney, give us all another lecture on “civility”
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:03 am:
Relax, folks. Congressman Davis is just working on material for his memoir, “Don’t Let Principles Get In The Way.”
As an aside, that’s not unprecedented. It’s normal for a caucus. The caucuses also decide delegates to county conventions which in turn decide the chair of the local party, and delegates to the district and state convention, which in turn decide delegates to the national convention in addition to the state party leadership and the Iowa GOP platform.
What Trump’s folks are doing is trying to make sure the Iowa GOP stays under their thumb rather than turning into an organization that resembles the GOP at any point before 2009.
This is also a potential effort to seed local support on Iowa for the next Trump to run for President.
Congressman Davis probably just wants to be a player in whatever they’re planning, even if it’s got a chance of being a Pizza Ranch Putsch.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:17 am:
It was a very close contest in 2018. The GOP is Trump’s party. Davis needs all the Trump supporters he can get. It’s a relatively-safe area for the GOP, as Trump has helped ruin the party elsewhere in the state.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:21 am:
- Grandson of Man -
That’s the math.
While the GOP is in 90+ percentile with Trump, it’s critical to get all that vote as the GOP shrinkage has become more uniformed.
Davis playing to the shrinking intensity of Trump is his math.
Thinking Davis is at all thoughtful or honest to things not Trump is being shown as folly.
- Steve - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:28 am:
- need old, angry, rural white voters-
It’s amazing how certain groups are allowed to generalized in the pejorative but not others. I guess it’s a sign of bigotry.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:32 am:
- Steve -
I am a Republican who saw my party first usurped by Rauner who purposely tried to bankrupt Illinois and social services to take down unions, and then saw a racist become president and who caters to… old, white, angry, rural voters… in such a way that farmers losing farms due to this POTUS are *still* supporting him.
Since you don’t vote, it’s still confusing why you even care who actually votes for this president
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:40 am:
Eh, I’ll believe it when I see it. Even even with the huge turnout in this district back in 2018, Londrigan still couldn’t beat Davis. I wish Londrigan the best, but I still doubt her chances.
- 61820 - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:45 am:
Changes in Champaign county government are going to make early voting and student voting easier. It may be enough to tip the district.
- Nick - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 10:58 am:
This is going to be a race to watch in 2020.
I’ve said it before but unlike the 12th the swing towards Trump here in 2016 was far more limited than in other areas. It’s only a little more Republican than the 14th.
And Londrigan was relatively ignored compared to other competitive candidates in 2018. Which won’t happen this time.
- Langhorne - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 11:48 am:
There are many fine and wonderful people in Iowa. There are also enough voters in Iowa to keep reelecting Steve King, 1 of 4 Iowa congressmen. That’s part of the reason why I think all of the emphasis on Iowa caucuses is so overblown. Are these the people you want selecting your candidate?
- Pundent - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:02 pm:
=While the GOP is in 90+ percentile with Trump, it’s critical to get all that vote as the GOP shrinkage has become more uniformed.=
Ball game. What we haven’t been able to measure is the size of “the base.” We know that it’s clearly with Trump but likely hasn’t been growing. The contracting tent that the GOP seems intent on using requires every single committed voter to come out and support them.
I still believe that you can reject Trump and run as a principled Republican. Unfortunately those candidates are in short supply right now.
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:07 pm:
Ow at 10:32. The myth that Trumps tariffs are causing some farmers to go out of business perplexes me. While bean prices are down from Obama’s last year, corn prices are higher. Wheat is also down. Coupled with the subsidies created due to the tariffs(which are ridiculous), farming has been better under Trump than the last year of the previous admin.
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:08 pm:
Wheat is up.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:11 pm:
- Blue Dog Dem -
Sec. Perdue disagrees with you
shorturl.at/mpzYZ
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:13 pm:
Trump needs Wisconsin… Trump is no friend to Wisconsin farmers…
shorturl.at/bcWZ3
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:15 pm:
=== Coupled with the subsidies===
Why the need for subsidies?
That’s a government handout?
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:18 pm:
OW. the subsidies are ridiculous. Maybe Sec Perdue is greasing the wheels for yet another(would be the third) increase in subsidies. It is an election year.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:19 pm:
Yeah, so… farms closing aren’t a myth.
#OnWisconsin
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:20 pm:
BTW. The dairy industry is a whole different topic… we recently lost a legendary milk plant in southern illinois about a month ago.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:24 pm:
(Sigh)
People losing farms is still… people losing farms… in Wisconsin, POTUS is being singled out, POTUS’ Ag Secretary sees it too.
The end.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 12:39 pm:
=People losing farms is still… people losing farms… in Wisconsin, POTUS is being singled out, POTUS’=
The “base” is distinguishable for its ability to ignore even the most basic of facts. Loyalty takes precedent over logic even if it requires seemingly impossible mental gymnastics.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 1:31 pm:
OW and Blue Dog you can both be a little right here. But BD farming isn’t all just price, it’s yield, its basis (the difference between board price and cash), its future demand. So while corn prices may be “up” over a period of years, if basis and cost of production are higher then the board price today isn’t important.
Trump has hurt farmers since taking office. His tariff war with China and Mexico and Canada hurt demand. It injured the US long term as being seen as steady supplier of soy and pork and dairy, ect. (just as a long shoremans’ strike did a few years back).
His desire to remove the US from TPP hurt the beef industry, only to get a bilateral deal with Japan years later that wasn’t any better than TPP.
The only good thing Trump has done for the farming economy is MFP. But the hand out of more than $20 billion will come with a political price at some point.
Yes, farmers are suffering (in spots), and they are also starting to look for a third round of MFP. Because why not, it’s an election year.
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Jan 28, 20 @ 3:42 pm:
Cool. I am very familiar with farming. The fact that JohnDeere is now up to million for a combine and the seed producers and fertilizer producers are monopolies has zero to do with Trumps tariffs. ALL the farmers I know who have gotten themselves in trouble either paid too much for ground or tried to expand acreage by overpaying cash rent. Nothing Trump related. Yields in Illinois were down this year. Trump really called in the rain clouds this spring. Maybe we are lucky, but the blue dog family farm had a great year. That darn Trump.