The Dem House Campaign Chief Outlines Her Case for the Midterms
DCCC chair Suzan DelBene on the search for candidates who click with their communities.
THERE ARE GENERALLY TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE who run the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the organization tasked with electing Democrats to the House of Representatives: big personalities who steer the party and play a major public role in its messaging, and behind-the-scenes types who do mainly grunt work while ceding the stage and spotlight to the candidates or other party leaders.
Either can work. Rahm Emanuel was the definition of brash when he ran the DCCC during the 2006 cycle. Ben Ray Luján was more reserved when he served in that role in 2018.
Rep. Suzan DelBene aligns more closely with the latter type. A businesswoman who was first elected to Congress in 2012, she does not have much of a national profile or internet footprint. But she has earned praise from her colleagues for her work leading the DCCC in 2024. Despite losing the presidency, Democrats picked up one House seat that cycle—an unexpected showing that was strong enough to convince House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to tap DelBene to run the DCCC again.
With Donald Trump now in office and no Democratic presidential candidate at the top of the ticket, the job this time around is much different. But the pressure is also much higher. Failing to win back the House in 2026 would be catastrophic for the party. But that simple task is becoming more complicated as the parties engage in a tit-for-tat redistricting war. DelBene and I caught up shortly before the holidays to talk through the midterms, including how she thinks about getting involved in contentious primary battles. Our conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.
LAUREN EGAN: Talk to me about what specifically you look for when you’re recruiting candidates to run.
SUZAN DELBENE: We’re looking for folks who are connected to their community, who are focused on the issues that are priorities for their community. One thing that I don’t think people always realize is