Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel sat down with the St. Petersburg Times yesterday to discuss the Democratic fight to take back the House in 2012. Israel says the DCCC has āsix prime targetsā in the state of Florida:Ā David Rivera, Allen West, Dan Webster, C.W. Bill Young, Steve Southerland andĀ Vern Buchanan, who is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice.
Hereās a portion of what he had to say. Watch the full video at the bottom of the post.
On David Rivera:
He is under numerous investigations for difficulties that he had, so we believe thatās a competitive seat. He doesnāt really represent the values and priorities of that district. ā¦ So thatās a key pick-up opportunity.
On Allen West:
Allen West represents a district that fundamentally disagrees with his extremism. I have to look at districts all over the country. That is one of those districts where the new incumbent is just way, way out of the mainstream. ā¦ Thatās a district that voted not only for President Obama, but also for John Kerry. It is a Democratic district and we are confident in winning that one.
On Vern Buchanan:
Vern Buchanan has a lot of money but he also has a lot of ethical baggage. Keith Fitzgerald, a former state legislator who is a wonderful candidate, he announced several weeks ago. And we think that district will be competitive, as well ā again, depending largely on redistricting.
