Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

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Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
DLCC logo new.png
Basic facts
Location:Washington, D.C.
Type:527 group
Affiliation:Democratic
Top official:Jessica Post, Executive Director
Year founded:1994
Website:Official website

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The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is a 527 political organization whose aim is to oversee state-based political campaigns for Democratic candidates. The organization runs grassroots campaigns and provides campaign assistance to candidates with the goal of gaining a Democratic majority in state congresses.[1]

Mission

According to the DLCC website, the organization's mission is as follows:[2]

“

One Mission: We elect local Democrats to statehouses across America.

Local Focus: Rebuilding the Democratic Party starts at the local level. The DLCC recruits, trains, and supports local Democrats running for state legislative office. We give our candidates resources, field support, and the data they need to run smart, winning campaigns.[3]

”

Background

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is classified by the IRS as a 527 political organization and files IRS forms 8871 and 8872; the organization does not file with the FEC. Founded in 1994, the DLCC actively oversees campaigns in all 50 states with the aim of helping to elect Democrats to legislative office.[1] The DLCC tracks legislative activity by both Republican and Democratic politicians. The DLCC tracks weekly news highlights from legislative activity in its Rapid Response newsletter, policy activity in its Policy News, and campaign tracking in its Campaign News.[4] The DLCC provides contributions to campaigns and launches as ads to oppose or support candidates.

Governance

Subsidiaries of the Democratic National Committee
• Democratic Governors Association
• Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• The Association of State Democratic Chairs
• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
• National Lawyers Council
• DNC Voting Rights Institute

The DLCC is overseen by a board, which is composed of Democratic state legislators. The direction and goals of the DLCC are set by board chair with the aid of the board.[5] The organization also has a number of political directors, who focus on state and national field operations.[6]

Politics and advocacy

2024

In September 2024, the Democratic National Committee contributed $2.5 million to the DLCC, the largest contribution to the DLCC to-date.[7] In a Sept. 2024 press release, the DLCC said it planned to spend $60 million by the end of the year.[8] DLCC president Heather Williams said, "Down-ballot races are often decided by a handful of votes, which is why every dollar invested in this ballot level can go so far in shaping whether core freedoms are advanced by Democrats or rolled back by Republicans."[9] The DLCC previously announced plans to invest in Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.[10] at the time of the 2024 elections, Republicans controlled both chambers in Arizona, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. Democrats controlled both chambers in Minnesota and Michigan. Pennsylvania had a divided government.[9]

2020

In January 2020, Politico reported that the DLCC was planning to spend $50 million in 2020, ahead of redistricting, and had "quadrupled its staff, partnered with a slew of other large Democratic groups ... and planned to target as many as 14 states." According to Politico, the organization would begin by targeting legislative chambers in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas, with potential targets later in the year in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Montana, West Virginia and Wisconsin.[11]

Politico reported, "The DLCC is chiefly targeting states where flipping just a handful of seats will give Democrats a seat at the governing table in 2021. ... And the group is particularly interested in states where state lawmakers have absolute power over the congressional maps and the governor has little influence, like North Carolina."[11]

2018

In July 2018, the DLCC announced 17 seats the organization would target with the goal of flipping eight state legislative chambers in November: state Senates in Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, Arizona, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. The organization said it planned to spend $6 million ahead of the year's elections.[12]

Executive Director Jessica Post stated, "Our success flipping 44 seats from red to blue since Trump was elected demonstrates that all state legislative districts are in play going into the midterms and no Republican is safe. With Democrats only 17 seats away from flipping eight chambers this November, the DLCC is confident that we can win Democratic majorities from coast to coast and enact policies that will help all Americans."[12]

2016

In February 2016, Politico reported that the DLCC would prioritize defending Colorado and Kentucky state Houses, Minnesota and New Mexico state Senates, and Oregon's state House and Senate in the 2016 election cycle. DLCC Executive Director Jessica Post listed 11 offensive targets: state Houses in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico; state Senates in Colorado, Maine, New York, and West Virginia; and both legislative chambers in New Hampshire and Nevada. Post stated, "We've got terrific candidates. ... Really impressed with the candidates who have come out of the woodwork."[13]

The same month, the DLCC began its state strategies in Indiana, where it focused on Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's GLBT civil rights stance and subsequent debates on the issue in the Indiana Congress. Carolyn Fiddler, DLCC spokeswoman, stated that "[b]reaking at least one of the two supermajorities in Indiana is important to the DLCC, and we’re working to target the districts that afford Democrats the best opportunity to do that. Gov. Pence’s unpopularity and John Gregg’s strength at the top of the ticket will help Democrats flip those vulnerable seats this fall."[14]

Leadership

As of April 2019, the following individuals held leadership or board positions in the DLCC:

Leadership:[6][15]

  • Jessica Post, Executive Director
  • Leslie Martes, Independent Expenditure Director and Senior Adviser
  • Hallie Ross, Deputy National Political Director
  • Matt Harringer, National Press Secretary
  • Eva Gavrish, Director of Corporate Relations

Board of Directors:[5]

Finances

The following is a breakdown in annual contributions received and expenditures made by the DLCC, according to OpenSecrets.org.

Annual contributions and expenditures
Year Raised Spent
2024[16] $9,460,346 $8,220,213
2022[16] $46,347,275 $49,322,660
2020[16] $40,076,046 $46,152,181
2018[16] $32,918,509 $32,203,180
2016[16] $17,321,014 $19,341,681
2014[16] $15,095,556 $15,183,632
2012[16] $13,540,630 $17,235,884
2010[16] $8,684,721 $10,949,775
2008[16] $9,989,627 $12,665,087

Affiliate programs

Advantage 2020 hybrid PAC

See also: Advantage 2020

Advantage 2020 was a hybrid PAC established in 2015 by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC). The aim of the PAC was to target Republican redistricting, take control of districts, and have a Democratic majority in state assemblies by 2020.[17][18]

On June 6, 2016, Advantage 2020 filed termination paperwork with the FEC, thus terminating the group.[19]


Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms DLCC. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee - Google News

See also

  • Republican Legislative Campaign Committee

External links

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Influencers
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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 DLCC, "About," accessed March 7, 2016
  2. ↑ DLCC, "About," accessed January 7, 2020
  3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ DLCC, "News," accessed March 7, 2016
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 DLCC, "Board of Directors," accessed April 8, 2019
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 DLCC, "Executive Director, accessed April 8, 2019
  7. ↑ Politico, "Harris campaign, DNC, announce unprecedented down-ballot spending," accessed September 3, 2024
  8. ↑ DLCC, "ICYMI: DNC Invests Historic $2.5M in DLCC to Support State Legislative Races," accessed September 3, 2024
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Pluribus News, "Dems, GOP pump millions into legislative elections," accessed September 4, 2024
  10. ↑ DLCC, "Path to the Majority: Expanding the Map," accessed September 4, 2024
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Politico, "Democrats plan $50M campaign to flip state legislatures before redistricting," January 15, 2020
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 DLCC, "State Democrats Announce the 17 seats Needed to Flip 8 Chambers This Fall," July 13, 2018
  13. ↑ Politico, "South Carolina turnout trending up," February 17, 2016
  14. ↑ The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, "Parties and pundits picking favorites in Indiana state and national primary races," February 15, 2016
  15. ↑ Politico, "Another sign Wisconsin will be a top 2020 battleground, accessed April 8, 2019
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 OpenSecrets.org, "Democratic Legislative Campaign Cmte," accessed November 1, 2024
  17. ↑ The Hill, "Dems launch super-PAC to gain edge in redistricting," February 19, 2015
  18. ↑ Advantage 2020, "Home," accessed March 7, 2016]
  19. ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Advantage 2020 (Termination)," accessed July 8, 2016
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