Connolly presses Democratic colleagues ‘to step up’ on campaign arm donations ahead of Election Day

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is urging his Democratic colleagues to pay their dues to the party’s official campaign arm as the midterm election season enters its final stretch.

In a letter to House Democrats on Friday, Connolly noted that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has vowed to match dues that are paid to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) until Tuesday.

“Our dues contributions help fund critical investments across the battlefield and are the single best way we can help hold our Majority. It gives the DCCC the most discretion to fund investments where it’s needed the most,” Connolly wrote.

“I encourage you to step up and take the Speaker up on her generous offer to match dues until Tuesday, October 25th,” he added.

The Virginia Democrat said he paid an additional $100,000 in dues to the campaign arm during Pelosi’s match period, bringing his total contributions to $275,000.

“This Congress has made historic progress that we can be proud of and campaign on — our vulnerable colleagues just need the financial resources to get over the finish line,” he wrote.

Connolly’s call for DCCC dues came one day after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) made the same ask.

House Democrats are facing an uphill battle in the November midterm elections, when Republicans are widely expected to secure the majority of the lower chamber. According to forecaster FiveThirtyEight, Republicans are favored over Democrats to win control of the House, 80 percent to 20 percent.

Democrats across the country saw a boost in polls over the summer — after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and gas prices began to decrease — but momentum has swung back in favor of Republicans in the fall as polls show voters concerned about issues including the economy, inflation and crime.

House Democrats are now fighting to maintain their slight edge in the chamber. On Monday, the DCCC announced a $605,000 television ad buy in Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s (D-N.Y.) reelection race. Maloney is the chairman of the DCCC.

In his letter to colleagues, Connolly reflected on his reelection bid in 2010, when he was considered a “frontliner” — the name for Democratic lawmakers running in competitive reelection races.

“As a former Frontliner, I know how tough the final stretch of a competitive campaign can be. In 2010, in the face of the Tea Party, I survived by just 981 votes,” Connolly wrote.

“When millions of dollars in dark money was being spent against Democrats, it was the DCCC that had my back. Because of their commitment, and the Caucuses dues contributions, I was able to hold on and win my re-election,” he added.

Connolly is one of three Democrats vying for the caucus’s top seat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, after current Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) lost her reelection primary to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. They faced each other after redistricting.

Reps. Stephen Lynch (Mass.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.) are also running to be Oversight’s top Democrat.