he Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is making an early move to deter primary challenges against sitting incumbents in the caucus with a new policy aimed in part at protecting the new majority.
The campaign arm on Friday sent out a list of hiring standards to more than 100 political firms, including one provision that made clear it will neither contract with nor recommend to House candidates any political vendors that work to oust sitting members of Congress. That offers key protection to the caucus's moderate members in battleground seats, where House control will be won or lost.
It is intended to help stymie attempts by insurgent progressive groups who plan to primary incumbents deemed insufficiently liberal on key issues, but also to shield members of the party's ascendant liberal wing who represent safe Democratic territory and could face intraparty challenges of their own.
"The core mission of the DCCC is electing House Democrats, which includes supporting and protecting incumbents," the committee wrote in a memo.
The new protocol, intentionally debuted early in the off-year before most campaign hiring begins, presents a stark financial deterrent to the country's top firms that provide essential services ranging from polling to TV advertising to strategy. It could cripple would-be primary opponents' ability to entice top talent to join their staff. The DCCC independent-expenditure arm doles out millions in contracts to consultants and drives more revenue toward them by connecting campaigns with vetted operatives.
"The DCCC is often times the gatekeeper for consultants to get to candidates," said Ian Russell, a campaign media strategist and former top official at the committee. "Unless you have a steady stream of income coming from another source, it would be very difficult to navigate the House world if you were shut out by the DCCC."
Democrats involved in crafting the standards intend for it to bolster members across the ideological spectrum, from the fiscally conservative Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas to the progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota—both of whom could be subject to contested primaries.
Still, the largest implications will be for protecting a House majority made of dozens of centrist members in Trump-friendly districts.
Regardless, the change is likely to spark backlash from the constellation of liberal groups that are plotting against incumbents. Their central argument is that primary challenges are healthy for the party and bring in crucial perspectives, particularly from young women of color.
"The DCCC can do anything it wants to try to prevent the next generation of Democrats from taking power. They will not succeed," said Sean McElwee, co-founder of Data for Progress, which is
helping recruit primary challengers.
He said his group would help those opponents find firms with which to work: "There are plenty."
