Rep. Charles Rangel wins primary election
Romney supporter gets new truck from campaign

Campaign chief: OK for Democrats to skip convention

By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

The Democrat charged with trying to win back the House majority is telling his candidates that it's OK to skip the party's national convention.


"If they want to win an election, they need to be in their district," Israel said yesterday at the Reuters Washington Summit.

The New York lawmaker added: "I don't care if the president was at 122% favorability right now. I think (candidates) should be in their district."

Israel's comments come as a growing number of Democrats in tough election fights say they'll skip the convention in Charlotte where Obama will be formally nominated for a second term.

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, one of the most vulnerable Democrats facing voters this year, told reporters yesterday that the reaction to her not going to the convention is "silly."

"I've got a really hard election," McCaskill said, according to CNN. "If you had a really hard election and it was after Labor Day, would you go to North Carolina to a bunch of parties and glad-handing or would you stay home and work as hard as you know how to convince Missourians they should rehire you?"

McCaskill, a prominent Obama supporter in 2008, said she is "absolutely not" trying to distance herself from Obama and noted she has asked the president to campaign for her.

Israel's message is basically the same as what Rep. Chris Van Hollen, then the DCCC chairman, said during the 2008 campaign. Van Hollen said at the time that the point about skipping the convention and staying home was "not to separate themselves from the Democratic Party, but because that's where their constituents are."

Democrats need 25 seats to gain the majority in the House. In the Senate, Democrats hold a 53-47 voting edge, but the majority has more seats to defend this year than Republicans.

Republicans meet Aug. 27-30 in Tampa to formally nominate Mitt Romney as their standard bearer. Democrats gather in Charlotte on Sept. 3-6.

Rep. Charles Rangel wins primary election
Romney supporter gets new truck from campaign