November 11, 2014 02:19 PM UTC

Polis To Head DCCC?

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post's Mark Matthews reports:

For many legislators — especially those near the political center — taking the job is a risky proposition. It’s one reason why Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., initially hesitated in taking a similar job with Senate Democrats.

But the potential drawbacks aren’t stopping U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, from pursuing the DCCC chairmanship for the 2016 election cycle.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is expected to select the next DCCC chair sometime in the next week, following the decision by U.S. Rep. Steve Israel of New York to decline another term at the helm.

Polis reportedly is on the short list of contenders. Also said to be in the running: Donna Edwards of Maryland, Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts, Lois Frankel of Florida, Jim Himes of Connecticut and Joaquin Castro of Texas…

Chairing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is an important responsibility for Democrats going into 2016, some sense of the pressure can be seen in the losing battle fought by Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Michael Bennet to protect seats this year. But those losses by most reports haven't damaged Bennet personally; and the connections gained from running such a major campaign effort are said to be worth the headaches.

In August, outgoing DCCC chairman Steve Israel lauded Rep. Jared Polis of Boulder as "one of our best fundraisers, and [who] just has a real sense of what has to happen in our campaigns." As Matthews reports, the final decision on who will chair the DCCC for the next election cycle rests with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has frequently trusted Rep. Polis with unusually important roles for a member with comparatively little seniority. Based on that, we'd say Polis' chances are pretty good.