Rep. Suzan DelBene picked to lead House Democrats' campaign arm
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Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced the selection of Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2024 cycle.
Why it matters: DelBene will be tasked with winning back House Democrats' majority after a narrow loss to Republicans this year that saw the current DCCC chair, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), lose his own seat.
What they're saying: Jeffries, in a statement, noted that DelBene – who won reelection this year by 27 points – previously held a swing district, calling her a "battle-tested, former Frontline member."
- Jeffries said she brings a "sharp political instinct, proven fundraising ability as well as serious management and operational experience inside and outside government."
- As an example of DelBene's "keen political instincts," Jeffries pointed to her campaigning on behalf of Rep-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez, whose victory over Trump-aligned Joe Kent in a Trump district was one of the biggest upsets of 2022.
- Jeffries also noted that, before redistricting put her in a safer seat, her district was already shifting from purple to blue-tinted: "Rep. DelBene won a tough seat as a Red-to-Blue candidate, held a tough seat as a Frontline candidate and then put that tough seat out of reach."
Between the lines: Picking a member who holds a solidly blue seat avoids the pitfalls that befell Maloney and his predecessor, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), both of whom faced unexpectedly tough races while steering Democrats' national campaign.
- House Democrats voted 166-38 last month to reverse a rule passed in 2016 that made the DCCC chairmanship a position selected by a vote of the caucus, rather than by leadership appointment.
The details: DelBene is the outgoing chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition and a Jeffries ally who was first elected in 2012, the same year as Jeffries.
- She previously served as the DCCC's finance co-chair in 2018 – when Democrats' fundraising dominance was a decisive factor in their landslide victory – and its frontline co-chair in 2020.
What we're watching: Democrats' 2024 strategy will center on districts won by President Biden in 2020 but flipped or held by House Republicans in 2022, according to a House Majority PAC memo reported by Axios.
