Justice Democrats have launched a “DCCC blacklist” website, escalating a feud between progressive groups and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee over its rule banning political vendors from securing DCCC contracts if they work with Democratic primary challengers.
“The movement is building a network of alternative infrastructure to help progressive primary candidates like @AOC and @AyannaPressley win their next race,” tweeted Justice Democrats, a PAC closely connected with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., that supported her successful primary campaign against Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y.
We just launched https://t.co/gQuUK1RvD3 because it’s time to stand up to the DCCC’s bullying of the progressive movement. The movement is building a network of alternative infrastructure to help progressive primary candidates like @AOC and @AyannaPressley win their next race.
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 4, 2019
A form on the DCCC Blacklist website aims to collect information from communications consultants, fundraisers, researchers, and other vendors who will support progressive primary candidates challenging Democratic incumbents.
“The DCCC is using their financial leverage to intimidate and blacklist many hardworking people in our movement in a blatant attempt to protect a handful of out-of-touch incumbents,” the website reads.
Democracy for America, Indivisible, and Our Revolution are among other progressive groups listed as partners on the DCCC Blacklist website.
The DCCC “will not conduct business with, nor recommend to any of its targeted campaigns, any consultant that works with an opponent of a sitting Member of the House Democratic Caucus,” a form for vendors that want to work with the committee reads.
Freshman insurgent Democrats Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts criticized the policy in a tweet last week.
“The @DCCC’s new rule to blacklist+boycott anyone who does business w/ primary challengers is extremely divisive & harmful to the party,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “My recommendation, if you’re a small-dollar donor: pause your donations to DCCC & give directly to swing candidates instead.”
The @DCCC’s new rule to blacklist+boycott anyone who does business w/ primary challengers is extremely divisive & harmful to the party.
My recommendation, if you’re a small-dollar donor: pause your donations to DCCC & give directly to swing candidates instead.
Some great ones:
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 30, 2019
“If the DCCC enacts this policy to blacklist vendors who work with challengers, we risk undermining an entire universe of potential candidates and vendors – especially women and people of color – whose ideas, energy, and innovation need a place in our party,” Pressley said.
If the DCCC enacts this policy to blacklist vendors who work with challengers, we risk undermining an entire universe of potential candidates and vendors – especially women and people of color – whose ideas, energy, and innovation need a place in our party (6/x)
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 30, 2019
One Democratic operative suspected that the rule merely codifies an informal policy that was already in place, the Washington Times reported.
DCCC Chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., has defended the policy.
“If we’re going to be successful as Democrats, and going into 2020 with a very, very fragile majority, we got to be on the same team,” Bustos told Politico this week. Because of the policy, the DCCC will spend “every cent we can to hang on to our majority and not work against ourselves,” she said.
