NFIB

Jefferson Scrutinized Closely on Home Turf
11/27/2002

by Chris Cillizza
Roll Call

The only undecided House race in the country could hold the key to Rep. William Jefferson's (La.) bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The open 5th district race in Jefferson's home state of Louisiana will be decided Dec. 7, since no candidate received 50 percent of the vote in the Nov. 5 open primary.

State Rep. Rodney Alexander(D), who led the primary field, is set to take on Lee Fletcher (R), former chief of staff to Rep. John Cooksey (R), the current occupant of the seat.

Jefferson, who has held the New Orleans-based 2nd district since 1990, has made no secret of his interest in succeeding Rep. Nita Lowey (N.Y.) as chairman of the House Democrats' campaign arm.

Jefferson's future leadership fortunes could rise and fall on how his colleagues perceive his efforts on behalf of Alexander, sources said late last week.

But Jefferson said his involvement in the runoff has nothing to do with his own ambitions.

"I want to see us have a Democratic majority one day, and this race is a step in the right direction," Jefferson said Friday. "It has nothing to do with any interest I may have in being responsible for the DCCC in the future."

Others, however, see the race through a different prism.

"This is viewed as a litmus test for Congressman Jefferson to the Democratic Caucus," said one Louisiana strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Another prominent Democrat said that after a slow start, Jefferson has become much more active on Alexander's behalf in recent weeks. "It does appear that the import of this race on his future has suddenly become crystal clear," the source said.

Although Jefferson is currently the most active candidate in the DCCC race, a number of other names remain in the mix, including Reps. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Mike Thompson (Calif.) and, most intriguingly, Martin Frost (Texas). Frost served as DCCC chairman in the 1996 and 1998 cycles, overseeing Democratic House gains in each. He ran a one-day campaign for Minority Leader earlier this month, but dropped out to endorse Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

"He is not seeking it, and he has not been approached," a Frost aide said of the DCCC post. But while there is clearly talk within the Caucus of appointing Frost as chairman, it remains unclear whether Members have approached Pelosi about the idea.

Pelosi and Thompson have had conversations about his future role in the party though the DCCC did not come up specifically, said Thompson Chief of Staff Ed Matovcik.

Pelosi's office did not return a call for comment on this story. The focus of House Democrats for the next three weeks will be on northeastern Louisiana, where both national parties are fighting hard in hopes of leaving a final positive imprint on the 2002 cycle.

For Democrats demoralized by their five-seat loss on Election Day, a win, especially in the South, could energize their forces for the 2004 cycle. A GOP victory would provide a fitting cap for the most successful election cycle for Republicans since their landslide win in 1994.

Jefferson has a full plate of activities over the coming weeks on Alexander's behalf. He placed fundraising calls for Alexander on Friday and is slated to make more pleas today.

Jefferson - along with Louisiana Sens. John Breaux (D) and Mary Landrieu (D), who is in a runoff battle of her own - held a June 26 fundraiser in Washington for Alexander. The Congressman said Friday that he will hold another event in Louisiana before the runoff.

Jefferson has donated $1,000 from his campaign committee to Alexander's campaign; Future PAC, his leadership political action committee, has given Alexander another $2,000.

Among other DCCC contenders, Frost donated $5,000 to Alexander through his Lone StarFund leadership political action committee, while Thompson has given Alexander $2,000 from his personal campaign committee and another $2,000 from his leadership PAC. Brown had not donated to Alexander as of Oct. 16.

Brown did not return a call for comment.

Burns Strider, a spokesman for Alexander, said that his boss and Jefferson speak regularly and that Jefferson has been heavily involved in the planning of a district-wide bus tour in the race's final week.

Jefferson was scheduled to campaign for Alexander in the southern part of the 5th district on Saturday and then spend Sunday with Alexander visiting black churches in Monroe.

Strider also said that Jefferson "is reaching out to the [Congressional Black Caucus] and other House Democrats, "touting Alexander's candidacy. Jefferson said he and the other members of the CBC are focusing their efforts on the final 72 hours of the campaign.

"I am trying to get CBC members down and really push a [get-out-the-vote] effort," Jefferson said. "We need to get the African-American base fired up."

The redrawn district is roughly 31 percent black, according to figures provided by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Politically, however, Republicans hold the edge. George W. Bush would have carried the district with 56 percent of the vote in the 2000 election, and Cooksey has held the seat since it was created in 1996.

And, though Alexander has touted himself as a conservative Democrat, the vote totals from Nov. 5 show that he has a tough road to hoe.

As the lone serious Democratic candidate, Alexander led the way with 29 percent followed by Fletcher, who took 24 percent. Former Rep. Clyde Holloway (R) received 23 percent, and state Sen. Robert Barham (R) placed fourth with 19 percent. All told, the three major Republican candidates garnered 122,267 votes to Alexander's 52,893.

As a result, few Democratic strategists believe that Alexander must actually win the race for Jefferson to receive a boost in his quest to head the DCCC.

"In a district that is very competitive and held by a Republican for quite a while, Alexander would need to do well, but it wouldn't have to be a win," said one Louisiana Democrat.

But, observers agree, Jefferson must go all out for Alexander if he hopes to prove to Pelosi and the Caucus that he has the mettle to handle the DCCC. "He has to die trying," said a Democratic source. "Bill Jefferson has to demonstrate his wide range of skills to the Caucus and familiarize them with what he can bring to the table."

For his part, Jefferson dismisses the idea that his chances of winning the DCCC chairmanship are inextricably bound to the percentage of the vote Alexander receives on the first Saturday in December.

"Everyone knows down here that we are going to work and push, but I have not been an architect of Rodney's campaign," he explained. "I have a lot of motivations here, but one of them is not that if Rodney wins it would be a boost to my [DCCC] candidacy."