The Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee named Monday 40 of its most vulnerable junior members
who would be added to the party’s Frontline program, designed to protect the
most at-risk incumbents.
Frontline gives those most susceptible
to Republican challenges added supervision and measurable goals as they prepare
for the 2010 elections. Members of the program will be pushed to focus on
fundraising and outreach efforts.
{mosads}The goal is to put freshmen in an
early position to avoid GOP assaults, which DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen
(D-Md.) said were responsible for Democrats being forced to spend money to
protect just 10 of 34 Frontline members from the 2008 cycle.
This year’s class will be headed by
DCCC vice chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Rep. Chris Murphy
(D-Conn.), himself an alum of the program.
The majority, 29, of members on the
Frontline program this year are freshmen elected in November. They include
members like Reps. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Mary Jo Kilroy
(D-Ohio), Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) and Tom Perriello (D-Va.), all of whom won by
just a handful of votes.
Other vulnerable members include
Reps. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), who sits in one of the most conservative
districts in the country, and Reps. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) and Dina Titus
(D-Nev.), who beat their opponents but scored less than 50 percent of the vote.
More senior members who still
represent districts President Bush or Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won find
themselves on the list as a precaution as well. Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa),
who has never been a strong fundraiser but has won big in recent years, joins
Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), Harry Mitchell
(D-Ariz.) and Baron Hill (D-Ind.), all of whom won by comfortable margins in
2008.
A DCCC spokeswoman said the initial
list includes members likely to “graduate” in coming months, meaning
they will have proven themselves as good bets for re-election.
Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.), who beat
a Republican foe by a huge 61 percent to 33 percent margin to represent Staten
Island, is one member who could migrate off the list after his big win, as are
Reps. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), both of whom won by
bigger than expected margins.
Jeremy P. Jacobs contributed to this
article.
For the complete list of Democratic Frontline members, click here.