Clinton makes new push to win the House

Democratic campaign leaders are moving to nationalize close House races in hopes that Donald Trump’s struggles and President Obama’s popularity will pay dividends down the ballot on Nov. 8.

The Democrats’ campaign arm has launched a new coordinated effort with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign that will shift millions of dollars to traditionally red states, where party leaders are hoping to upset House GOP incumbents. 

{mosads}Obama this week cut his first ads promoting down-ballot Democrats, including for former Rep. Brad Schneider, who’s vying to pick off Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.) in a Chicago suburb where Obama won in 2012 by more than 16 points.

First lady Michelle Obama is poised to use her star power for Clinton this week in Arizona, a GOP stronghold where House Democrats are fighting to retain an open seat and defeat a vulnerable Republican.

And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is amplifying its efforts this week to tie vulnerable Republicans to their presidential nominee, who has now been accused of sexual misconduct by about a dozen women. Democrats are singling out Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas), Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Cresent Hardy (R-Nev.) for refusing to disavow Trump.

House Democrats also see outreach opportunities in Wednesday’s final presidential debate, a format in which Clinton has generally outperformed Trump.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, on Tuesday called Trump an “unhinged” candidate. He said Trump will energize Latino voters and be crucial up and down the ballot in a number of battleground states, including Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Virginia. 

“Donald Trump just doesn’t attack Latinos. He’s attacked women, literally and figuratively. He’s attacked veterans. He’s attacked veterans’ families. He’s attacked the disabled, African-Americans,” Becerra said on a call with reporters. “I can go on and on.

“Will he once again demonstrate that he doesn’t have the temperament to be a president and is not fit to be commander in chief? We will see.”

GOP campaign officials argue that savvy voters will be able to distinguish down-ballot Republicans from the top of the ticket.

“Democrats fail to give credit to voters for being smart enough to know who their local member is and what they stand for,” said Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

What’s clear three weeks out from the election is that Democrats are on offense.

Hoping to expand the battleground, the House Majority PAC, which works to help Democrats retake the lower chamber, launched a series of ads this week targeting not only toss-up races, but also second-tier seats thought to be safely Republican just a few months ago, including those held by Reps. David Valadao (Calif.) and Lee Zeldin (N.Y.). 

Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, laid out the expanded outreach effort on Monday, indicating that the campaign intends to shift $6 million for direct mail and digital ads designed to boost turnout in the battleground states of Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania — all spots where Democrats will need gains in order to have any shot at retaking the House. 

The Clinton camp is also providing hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat freshman GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin in Maine and lend a boost to Rep. Brad Ashford, a vulnerable Democrat in Nebraska.

“Democrats have a historic opportunity to elect leaders who will partner with Hillary to create jobs and get incomes rising,” Mook said.  

While Trump has been downright toxic for some down-ballot Republicans, Democratic candidates are showing no qualms about appearing alongside President Obama or the Clintons.

Tuesday saw Obama appear in his first down-ballot TV and radio ads of the cycle. He cut a minute-long radio ad for Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, who’s running to replace retiring Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid.

With Gallup putting Obama’s approval rating at 54 percent, expect the popular, two-term president to be utilized in more congressional ads in the coming weeks.

“It’s not just a choice between parties or policies. It’s about who we are as a people,” Obama said in the 30-second TV ad, in which he alluded to Trump but didn’t invoke the billionaire businessman by name. “Join me. Reject cynicism and fear. Reach for what we know is possible.”

Hillary and Bill Clinton are getting involved, too. At a Miami rally focused on climate change last week, the Democratic nominee stumped with Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), who’s running to unseat incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). And Hillary Clinton recently appeared with retired Orlando Police Chief Val Demings, who’s heavily favored to win in Florida’s redrawn 10th District. 

Former President Bill Clinton, meanwhile, lent a hand to two Democratic House hopefuls in the Sunshine State: former Gov. Charlie Crist in St. Petersburg and state Sen. Darren Soto in Orlando.

In general, GOP campaign ads have been much more localized. 

The NRCC on Tuesday launched a pair of TV spots in the Sacramento market that made no mention of either Clinton or Trump.

The first ad linked vulnerable Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) to a campaign finance scandal that landed his 83-year-old father in prison. The second touts the “strong, effective leadership” from Bera’s GOP opponent, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. A slew of other NRCC ads launched Tuesday also don’t refer to the two party nominees.

But there are exceptions to the rule. Republicans have attempted to link a handful of Democratic candidates to Clinton: Emily Cain, who’s looking to oust Poliquin in northern Maine; Kim Meyers, who’s vying to replace retiring GOP Rep. Richard Hanna in New York; and vulnerable incumbent Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.).

Democrats face an enormous climb in their quest to retake the House, needing to flip 30 seats from the Republicans’ historic majority. Top election handicappers have all put the likely Democratic gains in the range of 10 to 20 seats.

But the party remains hopeful that Trump’s candidacy will both energize Democrats and dishearten Republicans, giving Hillary Clinton a commanding enough victory to pull other candidates on her coattails. In 2008, Obama’s dominant 7-point win over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was accompanied by a 21-seat gain for Democrats in the House. Four years later, Obama defeated Romney by roughly 4 points, and Democrats netted eight House seats.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said for weeks that if the election were held “today,” Democrats would win back the Speaker’s gavel.

Providing further signs she’s on the offensive, Pelosi has scheduled a press conference in the Capitol for Wednesday.