Déjà vu
One only has to read the DCCC’s 2016 strategy memo to understand that the 2018 version is full of recycled talking points and wishful thinking.
Remember the 15 “one-term wonders” the DCCC targeted in their 2016 memo?
11 of the 15 seats remain in Republican control—some even winning by a larger margin than in 2014—and the DCCC eventually deleted their webpage targeting the “one-term wonders” as their strategy went downhill.
| District | Candidate | Margin of Victory |
| AZ-02 | Martha McSally | +13.9% |
| FL-26 | Carlos Curbelo | +11.8% |
| IA-01 | Rod Blum | +7.7% |
| IA-03 | David Young | +13.7% |
| IL-12 | Mike Bost | +14.6% |
| ME-02 | Bruce Poliquin | +9.6% |
| NY-01 | Lee Zeldin | +17.9% |
| NY-24 | John Katko | +21.1% |
| PA-06 | Ryan Costello | +14.7% |
| TX-23 | Will Hurd | +1.3% |
| VA-10 | Barbara Comstock | +5.8% |
A cautionary tale for their 2018 strategy:
- 14.2 percent was the average margin of victory for the 23 House Republicans whose districts went for Hillary Clinton.
- In districts that went for Trump and broke for a House Democrat, 6 were decided by 5 percentage points or less.
“This strategy memo is nothing more than pipe dream, but then again over-promising and under-delivering is a reoccurring theme for the DCCC. Doubling down on the same failed policy proposals and tactics that led to the erosion of Democratic officeholders nationwide is a surefire way to fail once again.” – Jesse Hunt, NRCC National Press Secretary