 | |
| Abbreviation | DCCC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1866; 159 years ago (1866) |
| Purpose | To electDemocrats to theUnited States House of Representatives |
| Location |
|
Chair | Suzan DelBene (WA–1) |
Vice Chairs | Lizzie Fletcher (TX–7) Sara Jacobs (CA–51) Rob Menendez (NJ–8) Mark Pocan (WI–2) |
| Website | dccc |
Formerly called | Democratic National Congressional Committee |
| This article is part ofa series on the |
| United States House of Representatives |
|---|
 |
| History of the House |
| Members |
| Congressional districts |
| Politics and procedure |
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 United States portal |
TheDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)[a] is theDemocraticHill committee for theUnited States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body.[1] The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds and organizes races in districts expected to yield politically notable or close elections. The committee consists of the Chairperson (who according toDemocratic 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 in various executive roles.
The Chairperson of the DCCC is the sixth-ranking position among House Democrats, after theSpeaker, theMajority Leader, theMajority Whip, theHouse Assistant Democratic Leader, and theDemocratic Caucus Chairperson. The current chair isSuzan DelBene ofWashington, who assumed the position in 2023.[2]
| This article is part ofa series on the |
| United States House of Representatives |
|---|
|
| History of the House |
| Members |
| Congressional districts |
| Politics and procedure |
| Places |
| United States portal |
The DCCC was created in 1866 as theDemocratic National Congressional Committee. Due to thereform of campaign finance legislation in 2004, the DCCC divides its activities among two organizations prior to Election Day:
In recent elections, the DCCC has played an expansive role in supporting Democratic candidates with independently produced television ads and mail pieces.
Rahm Emanuel assumed the position of DCCC committee chair after the death of the previous chair,Bob Matsui, at the end of the 2004 election cycle. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's successful effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the2006 elections. After Emanuel's election as chair of theDemocratic Caucus,Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the110th Congress and the2008 elections. He continued through the2010 elections.Steve Israel served as chair for the 2012 and 2014 election cycles.[3] For the 2016 election cycle, Democratic Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi appointed congressmanBen Ray Luján to serve as the committee's chair. Luján was selected to serve again for the 2018 election cycle.[4]
For the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, DCCC chairs were elected by the caucus, rather than selected by the party leader.[5][6] After the 2022 election cycle, the Democratic caucus voted to return to having the position be appointed by the leader.[7]
In 2022, workers at the DCCC announced they were forming a union affiliated with the Teamsters. Their union was immediately voluntarily recognized.[8]
AfterAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her upset congressional victory overJoe Crowley in 2018, the DCCC implemented a policyblacklisting consultants who worked for primary opponents of Democratic Party incumbents. Highly unpopular among progressives, the organization rolled back the policy in 2021.[9]
In the 2018 election cycle, the DCCC released negative information about candidateLaura Moser, who ran forUS Congress inTexas' 7th congressional district.[10] The move backfired, as Moser gained donations and support en route to making the runoff before falling short againstLizzie Fletcher.[11][12] A month after the attack on Moser, the DCCC showed preference in another Texas primary, supportingColin Allred.[13] The decisions were two among many similar choices made by the organization throughout its history.[14] Similar criticism carried into the next election cycle, promptingProgressive Caucus memberRo Khanna to say:
This unprecedented grab of power is a slap in the face of Democratic voters across the nation. It's something even Rahm Emanuel would not have done and is totally tone-deaf to the grassroots activists across our nation. Voters are sick of the status quo holding on to power and stifling new voices. They are sick of D.C. politicians who care more about holding on to power than a true competition of ideas.[15]
In July 2016, the DCCC said it washacked.[16][17][18][19][20] Subsequently, a person described as a hacker and known as "Guccifer 2.0" (RussianMain Intelligence Directorate persona) reportedly released documents and information that were obtained from the cyberattack on the DCCC.[21]
In the 2022 primary cycle, the DCCC assisted Republican candidates that supportedthe claim that the 2020 election was stolen fromDonald Trump. This assistance took the form of attack ads aired during Republican primaries, the content of which ostensibly decried the further-right candidate'selection denialism and other views described as "dangerous", with the aim of making that candidate more appealing to Republican primary voters. It was hoped that those more extreme Republican candidates would be more vulnerable to defeat in the subsequent general election. For instance, in Michigan, they aired ads supposedly againstJohn Gibbs, a far-right challenger to incumbentPeter Meijer, who had voted to impeach Donald Trump in the second impeachment.[22][23] Gibbs ultimately lost in thegeneral election to Democratic candidateHillary Scholten.[24]
There are specific rules regarding who can donate to the DCCC. An individual can contribute as much as $41,300 ($82,600 per couple) per calendar year to the DCCC's general fund for use at the DCCC's sole discretion. Unless informed by the DCCC of a different allocation, the next $123,900 of an individual's contribution will be for the DCCC's recount fund and all additional amounts, up to the legal limits, will be for the DCCC's building fund.[25] For example, in 2023, Srivastava had made several donations totalling almost $290,000 to the DCCC as chairman of Unity Resources Group. It is important to note that certain contributions are prohibited; donations from foreign nationals, federal contractors, national banks, corporations and labor organizations are not permitted.[26]
In March 2024, the DCCC froze hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from Indian businessman Gaurav Srivastava after he was accused of fraudulently pretending to be associated with theCentral Intelligence Agency.[27] In 2023, Srivastava had made several donations totaling almost $290,000 to the DCCC as chairman of Unity Resources Group. Campaign officials said the funds were placed inescrow, following concerns about their source and legality.[28]