The DCCC just released their first list of Red to Blue races and a number of Florida candidates are topping the list: former Police Chief Val Demings (FL-08) who out-raised her Republican opponent by nearly $100K two quarters in a row and Keith Fitzgerald who is turning up the heat on the ethically challenged Congressman Vern Buchanan. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed “modern-day Harriet Tubman,” Allen West, remains a top national target and State Rep. Leonard Bembry is an emerging candidate who’s putting FL-02 in play.

Over the coming months, the Florida Democratic Party will be concentrating our firepower into these races to help these targeted candidates win. Please see a list of top Florida Targets below.

Red to Blue Races

–        Val Demings (FL-08)

–        Keith Fitzgerald (FL-13)

Red to Blue Districts

–        FL-22 (West)

Emerging Districts

Leonard Bembry (FL-02)

Majority Makers (3)

Alan Grayson (FL-27)

ORIGINAL DCCC PRESS RELEASE BELOW

From: DCCC Press
To: Jennifer Crider; Jesse Ferguson
Sent: Wed Jan 18 11:46:06 2012
Subject: DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces First Round of Red to Blue Races

DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces First Round of Red to Blue Races

DCCC Chairman Steve Israel today announced the 36 races that have qualified for the first slate of the highly competitive Red to Blue program as the latest in the DCCC’s ‘Drive for 25’ campaign to win the House. This is the earliest in the cycle that the Red to Blue program has been announced.  These races have earned a spot on Red to Blue by surpassing demanding fundraising, organization and infrastructure goals and with candidates that demonstrate they are problem solvers who will represent new priorities when elected to Congress.

The Red to Blue program is co-chaired by Congressman Jared Polis (CO) and Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD), and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz serves as the National Chair for Recruitment and Candidate Services.  Additionally, Chairman Israel announced three (3) Majority Maker candidates and 18 Emerging Races.

“These candidates are going to be aggressively holding Republicans accountable for consistently choosing Millionaires over Medicare, oil companies subsides over middle class tax cuts and ideology over solutions,” said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel. “In 2012, House Republican candidates are going to have to defend the indefensible. Allyson Schwartz, Jared Polis, and Donna Edwards know what it takes to win and will provide top notch leadership to our candidates.”

New Reuters/Ipsos polling last week showed that voters would support a Democratic candidate over a Republican candidate in their district by 4 points (48 percent – 44 percent) confirming a consistent Democratic lead that emerged this last fall and winter.

Red to Blue Races (18)

Ami Bera (CA-07)

Jose Hernandez (CA-10)

Mark Takano (CA-41)

Sal Pace (CO-03)

Val Demings (FL-08)

Keith Fitzgerald (FL-13)

Christie Vilsack (IA-04)

Brendan Mullen (IN-02)

Pam Gulleson (ND-AL)

Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02)

John Oceguera (NV-03)

Dan Maffei (NY-25)

Charlie Wilson (OH-06)

Kathy Boockvar (PA-08)

Nick Lampson (TX-14)

Denny Heck (WA-10)

Jamie Wall (WI-08)

Paul Hirschbiel (VA-02)

Red to Blue Districts (18)

AZ-01 (Gosar-open)

CA-26 (Gallegy-open)

CA-31(Open)

CA-47 (Open)

CA-52 (Bilbray)

CO-06 (Coffman)

CT-05 (Murphy-open)

FL-22 (West)

IL-08 (Walsh)

IL-10 (Dold)

IL-11 (Biggert)

IL-12 (Costello–open)

IL-17 (Schilling)

MD-06 (Bartlett)

MI-01 (Benishek)

MN-08 (Cravaack)

NM-01 (Heinrich-open)

WA-01 (Inslee-open)

Majority Makers (3)

Alan Grayson (FL-27)

Steven Horsford (NV-04)

Joaquin Castro (TX-20)

Emerging Races (12)

Clark Hall (AR-01)

Raul Ruiz (CA-36)

Leonard Bembry (FL-02)

David Crooks (IN-08)

Rob Wallace (OK-02)

Manan Trivedi (PA-06)

Jackson Eaton (PA-15)

Eric Stewart (TN-04)

Pete Gallego (TX-23)

John Douglass (VA-10)

Rob Zerban (WI-01)

Pat Krietlow (WI-07)

Emerging Races Districts (6)

AZ-09 (New-open)

IL-13 (Johnson)

MT-AL (Rehberg-open)

NY-13 (Grimm)

NY-19 (Hayworth)

SC-07 (New district)

About Red to Blue

The DCCC’s Red to Blue program highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country, and offers them financial, communications, grassroots, and strategic support. The program will introduce Democratic supporters to new, competitive candidates in order to help expand the fundraising base for these campaigns.  This is the earliest the DCCC’s Red to Blue program has been implemented in an election cycle. 

About Majority Makers

Majority Makers highlights Democratic candidates in strong Democratic districts.

About Emerging Races

Emerging Races highlights candidates and districts that are making themselves competitive by running smart campaigns which are becoming increasingly competitive.

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For Immediate Release, January 18, 2012

CONTACT: Jennifer Crider & Jesse Ferguson (202) 485-3440