Blue Dog Candidate Update!

As Blue Dog PAC Co-Chair Kurt Schrader has said, our Blue Dog-endorsed candidates truly represent the best America has to offer. Not only are they making great strides in their respective campaigns, but they are also the type of candidates that can win – AND KEEP – these districts for many years to come. Below are some of their recent notable achievements.

Brad Ashford (NE-02)

In announcing Brad Ashford's placement on the DCCC's Red to Blue Program, committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan stated, "Throughout his career, Brad has had the courage to reach across the aisle to find common ground and get things done.” Read more in the Omaha World-Herald: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lends help to Brad Ashford effort

Anthony Brindisi (NY-22)

Brindisi was recently named one of 's 10 must-watch candidates of 2018

Anthony Brindisi is an old-style Democratic challenger: a moderate who occasionally criticizes party leaders like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and has received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. After recruiting him for years, Democrats finally landed the assemblyman as a challenger to GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney in her upstate district. Brindisi may have found a key issue for 2018, blasting Tenney for supporting the GOP tax bill. The measure doesn’t poll well in New York, a high-tax state that could be hit hard by deduction losses.

Paul Davis (KS-02)

Check out a recent interview Davis did on the government shutdown.

“Right now, I think what we have in Washington D.C. is just a broken Congress,” said Davis. “We have too many people who are kowtowing to special interests and who are unwilling to compromise and talk to people from the opposite political party. That’s just got to change. When I was in the Legislature here in Kansas, I was able to work very closely with Republicans and we were able to get a lot of things done. I just think we need a lot more people in Congress who are willing to work across the aisle and get results.”

Gretchen Driskell (MI-07)

Gretchen Driskell has raised over $305,000 from over 1,400 contributions this past quarter, continuing to demonstrate her solid grassroots support. Since announcing her campaign in July, Gretchen has raised over $530,000 from over 2,600 contributions. Read more about Driskell’s fundraising efforts here.

Roger Dean Huffstetler (VA-05)

Huffstetler is building an aggressive field team in VA-05 and preparing for the nominating convention in May. He just released his first digital ad of the campaign, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ny5dk2Vg28.

Jay Hulings (TX-23)

Jay Hulings is running for Texas’ 23rd District, a district that runs from San Antonio, through west Texas, to El Paso. Jay is a former federal prosecutor in San Antonio and on the US-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, where he successfully convicted cartel members, human traffickers, and corrupt politicians from both parties. Prior to that, Jay was Counsel to the House Intelligence Committee under Rep. Silvestre Reyes and was Legislative Director and Counsel to former Blue Dog Rep. Jane Harman.

Jay has been publicly endorsed by Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro and Rep. Joaquín Castro, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC (the district is 65% Hispanic), the Blue Dog PAC, and most recently the TX AFL-CIO COPE.

Check out Jay’s campaign video, “On the Shoulders of Others.”

Brendan Kelly (IL-12)

The Kelly campaign capped off an excellent Q4 and started the New Year off strong by picking up the endorsement of the IL AFL-CIO. The campaign is looking to build on its great momentum when it starts field operations this quarter and takes the message of improving our infrastructure around the district.

Ben McAdams (UT-04)

Ben McAdams, whose fundraising has set an extraordinarily brisk pace, has been named to POLITICO Top 10 House Races to watch in 2018.

Democrats are not just targeting suburban seats, though. Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams is among a growing cadre of Democratic candidates hoping to turn Trump country blue, along with Paul Davis, a former candidate for governor of Kansas.

In , McAdams won his first mayor’s race in 2012, when Mormon Republicans were out in force to back . And while Romney got 60 percent in Salt Lake County, McAdams got 55 percent. “I have a reputation as someone who gets things done by

working across party lines,” McAdams said, adding that he expects the same ticket- splitting in his bid against GOP Rep. .

Read more great coverage in : Money rolling in for Ben McAdams in his race against Mia Love

Dan McCready (NC-09)

Dan McCready closed out 2017 with several major campaign developments. First, in November, McCready announced having raised $1 million one year before the election, more than any Democrat has ever raised in North Carolina's 9th district. Shortly thereafter, McCready was named as one of the first 13 candidates nationally to make the DCCC's Red to Blue list. Finally, McCready drew praise both locally and nationally when he criticized leaders of both parties for their mishandling of Congressional sexual assault allegations.

Max Rose (NY-11)

Rose has already posted strong fund-raising — raking in $330,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. Read more about about how his race is emerging as a key Democratic take back opportunity in the Daily News: Democrats eye Staten Island candidate to flip House seat

Rose has also picked up the endorsement of House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and been added to DCCC's Red to Blue Program!

Blue Dog Endorsed Candidates on DCCC's Red to Blue Program:

Brad Ashford (NE-02) Anthony Brindisi (NY22) Paul Davis (KS-02) Brendan Kelly (IL-12) Ben McAdams (UT-04) Dan McCready (NC-09) Max Rose (NY-11)