The Democratic National Committee will put $50 million into this year’s midterm elections, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine said Thursday — $20 million in direct campaign cash to candidates, including three Democrats in high-profile Washington races, and $30 million to support a massive nationwide turn-out-the vote effort.
Kaine, the 52-year-old former Virginia governor who succeeded Howard Dean as party chairman in January 2009, will speak in Vancouver Saturday at the state Democratic Convention.
He told the The Columbian in an interview that despite some disillusionment within the party over the pace of change under President Barack Obama, the Democrats have a positive message to deliver.
“We’re not on the defensive,” he said. “We’re governing the nation at a time of significant financial urgency. Because of the Republicans’ decision to absent themselves from being part of governance and just be critics, the president and Democratic members of Congress are carrying the nation on their back this year as we try to dig ourselves out of the ditch.”
Kaine said the party will actively back U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in her campaign for a fourth term; the leading Democrat, likely Denny Heck, in the race for the open 3rd District seat; and Democrat Suzan DelBene in the 8th Congressional District race, where she is running to unseat Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.
“In every state, we have a couple of races where we are on the offense,” Kaine said.
Of Murray’s prospects, he said, “You should never take anything for granted, but we feel very good about this race.”
Press accounts indicate that support for Republican Senate candidate Dino Rossi “is pretty tepid” in the face of strong Tea Party support for former NFL player Clint Didier, Kaine said. “Low enthusiasm among Republican voters after two failed races will make it a real challenge for him,” he predicted.
The national party will deploy four full-time staffers in Washington state and will also assist Organizing for America, the organization Obama campaign volunteers formed to support the president after the election, Kaine said.
He acknowledged that 18 months into the Obama administration, some Democrats are impatient for change.
“It is clearly the case that virtually anybody who has an issue they care passionately about would like to see more done,” he said. “But we had an economy that was the toughest since the 1930s. We’ve been able to turn it around. We’ve been able to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill. Women are entitled to equal pay for equal work. The president is very candid in saying, ‘I haven’t gotten done everything that I hoped to.’”
Kaine noted that since the Teddy Roosevelt administration, the party in power has always lost seats in Congress in the midterm elections. On average, he said, the party loses 28 House seats and four Senate seats.
“There’s always a headwind blowing at the party that has the White House,” he said. “We aren’t living in average times. We have to assume the headwind is blowing a little stiffer than usual.”
But Kaine predicted that Democrats will retain majorities in both the House and Senate. “I think we can maintain both by comfortable margins. I think the story out of the primaries is that the Tea Party has taken over the Republican Party. They knocked out (Sen.) Bob Bennett (of Utah), forced out (Florida Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate) Charlie Crist. The Republican Party is getting narrower ideologically, geographically and demographically.”
Kaine cited Thursday’s 57-41 vote on Democrats’ big election-year jobs bill as an example of what he called GOP “obstructionism” of efforts by Democrats to get the economy moving.
Murray delivered a Senate floor speech Thursday urging Republicans to support the bill, which would have extended federal unemployment benefits for 200,000 Americans, extended tax incentives for clean energy businesses, and delivered $16 billion in new aid to states. Republicans senators said it would add $30 billion to the nation’s $13 trillion national debut. Not a single Republican voted for the bill, which fell three votes short of a filibuster-proof majority.
In Washington state, the defeat of the jobs bill creates a $480 million hole in the state budget. Gov. Chris Gregoire had counted on federal Medicaid funding included in the measure to help fill a revenue shortfall in 2010-2011.
Its defeat also will eliminate sales tax deductibility on federal income tax returns, which is worth more than $380 million a year to Washington residents.
“The primary job of the administration and Congress is to get the economy going again and continue the pattern of growth,” Kaine said. “Republican obstructionism on efforts to help state budgets and help people in the toughest economy since the 1930s demonstrates a reckless disregard for the condition that everyday Americans are experiencing.”
Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
