There are only 9 congressional districts with PVIs of zero. They are neither R+1 nor D+1. They are true 50/50 swing districts. Every single one of them is fiercely contested every election cycle… except one. Obama won all these districts in 2008 and, with one exception (IL-13), he won all of them last year. The 9 districts have 3 GOP incumbents and 6 Democratic incumbents. The DCCC has targeted the 3 Republicans and the NRCC has targeted 5 of the 6 Democrats. The one they're ignoring is… drum roll… Steve Israel, chairman of the DCCC who has very conspicuously-- and very aggressively-- refused to target any Republican leaders, not even Republican leaders in Democratic leaning districts, like Fred Upton (MI), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Buck McKeon (CA), Mike Rogers (MI), and John Kline (MN). Polls indicate that all those heavyweight Republican policymakers could be defeated in a vigorous and well-financed campaign. Israel has refused to let the DCCC get involved in any of the races and has called high-dollar Democratic donors and asked them to "not waste" their money supporting the candidates who run in them.In return, the NRCC undercut grassroots Republican Steven Labate when he ran against Israel last year. Israel spent $3,169,049. Labate spent $291,799 and the NRCC spent nothing at all. Patriots for Freedom, entirely funded by Curtis Katz of Roxann Management in Great Neck-- a sleazy landlord and former big dollar donor to Israel's shady political career-- tried to help Labate with a $12,000 ad through his Patriots for Freedom PAC, slamming Israel.This year there is no Republican candidate running against Israel, at least so far. Republicans have already declared against Democratic leaders far less electorally vulnerable than Israel, like Nancy Pelosi (who will face John Dennis's Ron Paul machine) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has already attracted three Republican opponents.Ted Cruz is just killing off the Republican political establishment. Steve Israel is working to save it. Watch Rachel below explain the Cruz dynamic:
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