WASHINGTON — Facing dangerous Republican headwinds, House Democratic leaders are feverishly shaking the money tree – and leaning on their own members to pony up huge campaign checks to salvage the party's position.
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and campaign chief Rep. Steve Israel (D-LI) pleaded for colleagues to cough up the campaign cash on a conference call Tuesday – a week before Election Day, and successfully shook down nearly $500,000 more, according to a source on the call.
Every Democrat must pay party "dues" running as high as $800,000 based on their rank and influence. Some, like Queens Rep. Joe Crowley, have donated $500,000 – beyond what's assessed by party bosses, according to a Democratic Congressional Campaign Comittee dues sheet obtained by The Post.
Others, like Rep. Nita Lowey of Westchester, are lagging. Despite representing a wealthy district and serving as the top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Lowey has contributed only $380,000 out of her $500,000 assessed "dues."
"The fact is, the climate is incredibly challenging and only getting harder," Israel wrote colleagues in a memo Tuesday.
Although the House Democratic campaign arm actually has outspent Republicans, Israel lamented an influx of outside political spending, noting that former Rep. Nan Hayworth "is putting in another million dollars of her own money" against Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney upstate.
The plea comes as Democrats craft increasingly desperate pleas for their national list of small donors. The latest subject line fretted: "All Hope is Lost."
But the party's financial straits aren't all that bad. The Democratic campaign arm raised $17 million in September, compared to $11 million for their Republican counterpart. House Democrats had $34 million in the bank at the start of October, about the same as the $33 million Republicans had.
Leaders of the DCCC outlined in a stark spreadsheet how much each member still owes compared to how much cash they have in their accounts — in a not-so-veiled-hint that many can afford to pony up. Some Dems privately grumbled about the public call-out believing they've done enough.
The stars of the bunch are 77 members who have already paid in full including eight from New York: Reps. Israel, Crowley, Eliot Engel ($255,000), Carolyn Maloney ($250,000), Paul Tonko ($250,000), Nydia Velázquez ($250,000), Jerry Nadler ($165,000) and Hakeem Jeffries ($125,000). Nadler chipped in another $15,000 on the call, according to a source, and retiring Rep. Carolyn McCarthy pledged another $20,000.
The clear slacker of the New York delegation is Rep. Charles Rangel who owes his entire $250,000 tab. The problem is he's the only member of the House with a negative balance in his bank account, as The Post first reported.
Reps. Gregory Meeks and Jose Serrano also have a long way to go toward their $250,000 tabs, paying just $30,000 and $27,500, respectively.
Other members are being shamed for coming up short when they are sitting on lots of cash. Rep. Louise Slaughter, the top Dem on the Rules Committee, paid $136,000 of her $500,000 dues, according to the memo, but had $513,000 available in cash as of Sept. 30.
Lowey's $380,000 contribution comes despite having $790,000 in the bank, according to the memo.
Lowey's campaign manager points to more than $1 million she's brought in fundraising for the DCCC beyond her individual dues as evidence she's done her part.
Lowey "has given and raised over $1.64 million to elect House Democrats and will continue working to do so until Election Day," said Matt LaFortune.
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