Obama To Hold More Than 18 Dem Fundraisers In 2014
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama has committed to holding more than 18 fundraisers to help Democrats this year, putting the full force of his political brand behind his party's efforts to gain seats in the House and prevent Republicans from snatching control of the Senate.
The stepped-up commitment from the president stands in clear contrast to 2010, when Democrats complained Obama did too little to boost the party - and has been paying a heavy price ever since. Democrats that year took what Obama dubbed a "shellacking," losing control of the House and severely impeding the president's ability to move his legislative agenda through Congress.
With no presidential campaign this year to attract Obama supporters to the polls, Democrats are concerned that 2014 could be a difficult year, especially if voters unhappy with Obama's health care law opt to exact retribution in November on the Democrats who supported it. Traditionally, a president's party loses seats during his sixth year in office, but Democrats are hoping to buck that trend.
To pull that off, Democrats will need cash - lots of it. So the party is turning to its top fundraiser to help stockpile the hundreds of millions of dollars that will help determine the outcome of November's election.
Obama has agreed to at least six fundraisers this year for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect House Democrats, and another six for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to Democrats involved in the planning, who demanded of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the events by name. He'll also hold an event for the Democratic Governors Association.
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