The Magazine

Emanuel in Washington

He's raising the cash, but can he get the votes?

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Another problem Republicans see with making an issue of DeLay is that folks who live outside the Beltway (besides those in DeLay's district) often don't know who he is and aren't paying much attention to the news stories that involve him. "This stuff doesn't resonate outside Washington," a senior GOP House aide says. "Voters aren't going to vote for Democrats unless they know what they actually stand for. The Democrats are overreaching."

It's too early to reckon the odds of the Democrats' taking the House next year, but to do so, they must improve on their present total by 15 seats. Emanuel doesn't have a forecast. "I don't make predictions," he says, "I just affect races."

--Rachel DiCarlo is an assistant editor at The Weekly Standard.