National Democrats Shine Spotlight on 10th

The national spotlight on the race for the 10th Congressional District seat between and became more intense today with the reservation of $3.1 million of television commercial time by Democrats.

With three contests in the Chicago area targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) as part of its Red to Blue program, the organization charged with electing Democrats to the House of Representatives reserved $3.1 million in commercial time after Labor Day.

Schneider, who is running against Dold in a , is a likely beneficiary of the reservation, according to a story today in Roll Call.

The other campaigns targeted in the Chicago area are Tammy Duckworth against Rep. Joe Walsh in the 8th District and former Rep. Bill Foster against Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) in the 12th.

Schneider had no comment about the reservation but Dold spokesperson John McGovern was not surprised. “This is a nationally-targeted race, and we fully expect both parties will be active here,” McGovern said. He expects the Dold campaign to have sufficient resources to compete.

In the past when the DCCC has had a number of targeted campaigns in one media market, it made reservations for each campaign, according to a spokesperson for the DCCC. These combo buys allow the organization to make strategic decisions closer to the election while giving the other side less information about strategy.

The $3.1-million purchase in Chicagoland is part of a $46.3-million effort in a number of Congressional districts across the country. The Democrats need a net gain of 25 seats to regain control of the lower chamber they lost two years ago.