FROM: NRCC Chairman Greg Walden TO: Republican Members DATE: June 5, 2013 SUBJECT: Democrats struggling on their

own turf Washington Democrats started the year with a pretty brash attitude about retaking the majority. But halfway through 2013, House Democrats face a much more daunting challenge than winning Republican districts they are actually struggling on their own turf. In contrast, House Republicans entered this cycle with a plan to stay on offense and that approach appears to be paying off as we are aggressively expanding the playing field. Recent polling in targeted districts shows that Democrat incumbents are weakly positioned as a result of our recruitment successes, offensive strategy, and a political climate unfavorable to Democrats. Even in Democrat-leaning districts, voters are looking to Republican candidates. Democrats, meanwhile, have been dealt a series of recruitment blows that have complicated their hopes in several key districts they need to win. And with the Obama administration embroiled in controversy, House Democrats have been constantly on defense on everything from the IRS to ObamaCare. Of course, with President Obama on his never-ending campaign raising big bucks for the DCCC in San Francisco, New York, and most recently, Chicago we are taking nothing for granted. Bottom-up recruitment: While the DCCC sought to get a lot of news clips in the beltway about their recruits, we made a strategic decision to take a more measured approach rolling out candidates only when they were ready. Whereas Democrats highlighted their recruits at press conferences in D.C. before they were really ready or vetted we prefer our candidates announce in their districts. You know, where voters live. Our bottom-up approach to recruitment is paying off. Several of our top-tier candidates have already had very successful rollouts, with more coming in the months ahead. Whether its Mia Love in Utah, or Carl DeMaio in San Diego a diverse class of Republican candidates are running full steam ahead and building strong campaigns. Democrats, in contrast, have had some embarrassing flops, most recently with Jim Graves in Minnesota. Graves follows a list of other failures, like John Boccieri in Ohio as well as Michael Rubio and Leticia Perez in CA-21. These were not run-of-the-mill candidates, mind you. Nope, were

talking about folks who were said to be the Democrats cream-of-the-crop recruits, featured in memos and DCCC videos. Some of these prized candidates even dropped out after announcing, like Sona Mehring in MN-02 and both Mike Sherzan and Staci Appel in IA-03. Republican challengers strongly positioned in Dem-leaning areas: Whats more, our Republican challengers are strongly positioned against Democrat incumbents, putting the Democrats on defense on their own turf. The NRCC recently commissioned surveys by Harper Polling in five House battleground districts held by Democrats: CA-36, FL-26, IL-10, IL-12, and UT-04. The bulk of these districts are swing or even Dem-leaning districts where conventional wisdom would assume Democrats have a built-in advantage. But the numbers tell a different story: In CA-36, Republican Brian Nestande leads Democrat Raul Ruiz 44% to 41% in an R+1 district that Obama carried by three points. In IL-10, former Congressman Bob Dold leads Democrat Brad Schneider 44% to 39% in a D+8 district that Obama carried by 16 points. In IL-12, Democrat Bill Enyart is losing in a head-to-head match-up against Republican Mike Bost in a district Obama carried by 1.5 points: Bost 33% to Enyart 27%. Additionally, in CA-52, a Tarrance Group poll commissioned in April had Republican Carl DeMaio leading Democrat Scott Peters by a solid 49% to 39% in a D+2 district that Obama carried by 6.5 points. And in our Red Zone districts, even the Democrats most entrenched and experienced incumbents have been put on notice: Utahs Jim Matheson is in for a tough fight in a rematch against Republican Mia Love. Harper Polling shows Love trailing Matheson by only 3 percent, within the polls margin of error; Matheson 44% v. Love 41%. In districts like this, Obamas agenda from ObamaCare to spending is completely toxic.

Defying conventional wisdom: Theres been a lot of talk in the media and the beltway since the last election about the challenges that Republicans face in the current political climate, but there hasnt been much discussion about the issues Democrats face. The Harper polls show that even in districts that President Obama won, Republicans are doing better on the generic ballot. And part of that might be because of the president himself. In CA-36, for example, 52% of those polled disapprove of the presidents job performance versus 41% who approve and this is, again, a district that the president carried.

In FL-26, a district President Obama carried by 7 points, incumbent Democrat Joe Garcias approval rating is at a low 38% in Harpers poll and that was before news broke about one of Garcias top campaign aides being investigated for voter fraud. Even then, voters in this district preferred a Republican check and balance to a Democratic ally of President Obama, 50% to 43%. Democrats are now forced to run with a president who is underwater in polling nationally. If this is a problem in Dem-leaning and swing districts, just imagine the trouble it spells for Democrats in more right-of-center districts exactly the kind of the districts Democrats need to capture to win the majority. Path forward: House Republicans are expanding the playing field and putting Democrats on defense on their own turf. Our offensive strategy is paying off, as Democrat incumbents face real threats to their reelection even in areas that President Obama carried with a comfortable margin. The question facing Democrats is how, if they are struggling on their home court, will they ever win the Republican-leaning districts they need to regain the majority? With the president and Nancy Pelosi focused on one-party rule in Washington, D.C., we plan to stay on offense and take the fight to Democrats.