House Leaders Hit the Road
With less than a month to go until Election Day, House leaders are hitting the campaign trail this week.
Details of Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) schedule are murky, but most of her campaigning this week is centered on Southwestern states, including New Mexico and Arizona.
Focusing his efforts on the Midwest, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is hosting a fundraiser Tuesday night for Gary Peters, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.). Hoyer then heads to Kalamazoo on Wednesday to campaign for Mark Schauer, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), before returning to Washington that afternoon.
According to Hoyers political action committee, AMERIPAC, as of this week, Hoyer has contributed nearly $1.5 million to Members and candidates in the 2008 cycle, and raised another $5 million. He has also given the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee $1.1 million and raised another $3.5 million.
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will spend the week in his district visiting with officials to discuss economic development; he will speak to several groups including the Large Public Power Council. Later in the week, Clyburn will head to North Carolina to speak to the annual conference of the National Black McDonald’s Owner-Operator Association.
Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) spent Tuesday campaigning in Minnesota for Ashwin Madia (D), who is running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad. He will spend the rest of the week in Chicago for Congressional business and to observe Yom Kippur.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will attend the Georgia GOP Victory dinner on Tuesday night. He will spend Wednesday campaigning for Congressional candidates Rick Goddard, who is challenging Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), and Jay Love, who is running for the seat held by retiring Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.).
Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) spent Tuesday in St. Louis fundraising for GOP Congressional candidate Aaron Schock, who is seeking to replace retiring Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.). Later this week, Blunt will be in Kansas City campaigning for Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.). Blunt will also campaign for Lynn Jenkins, the GOP challenger to Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kansas).
