Yesterday came the newsthat the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has begun practicing some tough love, canceling all remaining ad reservations in eight districts in order to save money for more competitive ones. Six of the districts — including those held by Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.), and Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) — are widely viewed as seats that Democrats are now resigned to lose. Two others — the district held by Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) and the open seat in Delaware — are seats the Democrats are now confident they will pick up.
There are numerous other reasons why the DCCC shifts money from district to district, but, in general, it’s hardly a confidence booster if your struggling campaign gets cut off by Washington. The DCCC also cut off spending in Indiana’s open 8th district race, indicating that the Midwest, in particular, has been a challenging atmosphere for Democratic representatives to hold their ground.