The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (commonly referred to as the "D triple C," or the "D-Trip") is the DemocraticHill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield politically notable or close elections. The DCCC was founded in 1866 as the Democratic National Congressional Committee.
Due to campaign-finance reform legislation effected in the 2004 election cycle, the DCCC splits into two organizations 120 days before each Election Day. One organization can continue contact with the individual congressional campaigns, offering advice and suggestions to candidates and their staffs in each race. The other organization, which makes independent expenditures in congressional districts on behalf of the campaigns, is not allowed to coordinate activities with the campaigns. DCCC independent expenditures in the 2004 campaign tended to involve field programs for voter contact as well as radio and TV advertising. In the 2004 election the DCCC placed a heavy emphasis on online outreach to small donors, using blogs.
The position of DCCC committee chair was assumed by Rahm Emanuel after the death of the previous chair, Bob Matsui. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2006 elections. After Emanuel's election as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the 110th Congress, and thus for the 2008 elections.
Encyclopedia
top
