House hopeful Ashford missing from Democrat’s money making list

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

Nebraska Democrats are downplaying Brad Ashford’s absence from a key money making list.

While nearly three dozen Democrats running for Congress have a front row seat on the party’s “Red to Blue Program”—GOP held districts the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting this fall—Ashford is not one of them.

“Much to the dismay of Vince Powers and the Nebraska Democrat Party,” says a spokesman for incumbent GOP Congressman Lee Terry.

But Powers, the Democratic State Chairman, tells Nebraska Watchdog that Ashford, who jumped into the race a month ago, will make the list and isn’t on yet because “he just announced.”

Last year Democrat Pete Festersen—who got in the race, then out, then in and back out—made the DCCC’s “Jumpstart” program, which promised “financial, communications, operational, and strategic support.”

The cash pledge to Festersen came in the aftermath of the government shutdown and a Democratic poll that found Festersen with a two-point lead over Terry.

The Democrats latest list includes three districts in Iowa and one in Colorado. No other states bordering Nebraska made the first cut.

All told 19 districts are on the “Red to Blue” first string, with another 16 labeled “emerging districts.”

According to the DCCC’s website, “The program will introduce Democratic supporters to new, competitive candidates in order to help expand the fundraising base for these campaigns.”

Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org and listen to Joe every Monday morning at 7:40 on KFAB radio in Omaha.

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