Hillary’s email issues are ‘technicalities,’ says Dem campaign chairman

The head of House Democrats’ campaign operation dismissed concerns about Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton’s use of private emails as “technicalities,” saying voters will be more concerned with bread-and-butter issues in 2016.

“I don’t believe the 2016 election will be about technicalities of any sort,” Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said in an interview set to air Sunday on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers.” “It’s going to be about issues that impact families and their pocketbooks. … Those will be the choices of 2016.”

{mosads}In April, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chief said Clinton would “bring experience and energy to the campaign trail” and “excite a new generation of Democrats” if she secured the nomination.

But the former secretary of State is now trailing her main Democratic rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), in polls of both Iowa and New Hampshire after facing months of tough questions about why she was conducting government business using a private email account. Some federal agencies have said after the fact that some emails contained classified information.

But Luján accused Republicans of ginning up “allegations or assertions” about Clinton to distract Americans from real issues.

“And look, as elected officials entrusted with that public trust we need to make sure we answer all of the questions that are put to us and I’m certain that that will continue to come out,” he said. “But the election of 2016 will not be about those technical issues; they will be about those issues that impact us in our daily lives.”

Luján, elected to Congress in 2008, said there was no doubt Democrats would pick up House seats in 2016, though he declined to make any predictions. Republicans outnumber Democrats 247-188, the largest GOP majority in generations, so Democrats have plenty of pick-up opportunities in 2016 — a presidential year, which tends to see a bigger turnout among Democratic voters.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know what the ultimate numbers will be,” Luján said. “But there seems to be no question we will win seats.”

The interview airs at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET on Sunday on C-SPAN.