House staffers follow bosses’ footsteps on the campaign trail

Less than three weeks before an election that will determine control of the lower chamber, many House staffers are already out in the hinterlands helping on campaigns, and many more have plans to go.

Most serve as volunteers on competitive campaigns, often providing high-level strategy advice but sometimes simply working the phones and going door to door.

Some assume a paid job with a campaign, such as Jason Roe, chief of staff to Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), who is working as campaign director for Pete Roskam, a Republican seeking to fill Rep. Henry Hyde’s (R-Ill.) seat outside Chicago. A recent automated poll by RT Strategies showed Roskam tied with his Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth.

Congressional staffers must take unpaid leave to work on campaigns, but most lawmakers are happy to allow it, putting constituent work and other tasks on the back burner to boost their party’s prospects in pivotal races.

Many staffers stick close to home, working in the same state as their respective bosses.

In Rep. John Larson’s (D-Conn.) office, four staff members are going up to Connecticut to work on three of the Democrats’ top races there, said a Larson spokesman. One is going to volunteer for Democrat Joe Courtney’s campaign in the 2nd District. Courtney is challenging Republican Rep. Rob Simmons. A Zogby poll taken at the end of September and beginning of October showed Simmons with a three-point lead over Courtney.

Another Larson staffer will volunteer with Diane Farrell, challenger to Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). Farrell led Shays by five points in a recent Zogby survey. Two more staffers have plans to aid Chris Murphy in Connecticut’s 5th District. Murphy trailed incumbent Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) by six points in a recent automated poll by RT Strategies.

Eleven of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) staff members have taken time off to volunteer with campaigns and 11 more have plans to do so, said a Pelosi spokesman. Most are headed to campaigns that are part of the Democrats’ Red to Blue Program, which funnels financial resources and political expertise to the party’s most promising challengers.

Pelosi staffers will volunteer in races in Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

In the office of Democratic Caucus Chairman James Clyburn (D-S.C.), eight staff members have plans to work on campaigns, a spokeswoman said. Clyburn’s South Carolina colleague Rep. John Spratt (D) faces a competitive challenge from Republican Ralph Norman, but national Republicans decided recently not to invest as much money in the district as they had planned, signaling that they are more interested in playing defense this cycle.

A recent SurveyUSA poll had Spratt leading Norman by 14 points.

Democratic staff members are more eager to work on campaigns than in the previous two cycles, Hill aides said, when Democrats had little chance of winning control of the House.

As in past election years, Democrats are organizing several bus trips to take congressional staffers to races in nearby states.