When practical shoes tell you something about a politician
| Washington
At the end of our Monitor Breakfast on May 17 with Rep. Suzan DelBene 鈥� chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) 鈥� my colleague Christa Case Bryant complimented her on her shoes: shiny, multicolored flats.
The key is that they鈥檙e not heels, thus reducing the chances of wiping out on those marble floors in the U.S. Capitol 鈥� or on the venerable building鈥檚 well-grooved stairs.
Representative DelBene mentioned that the subject of footwear had come up the day before at a DCCC fundraiser emphasizing the importance of women members and candidates to retaking the House. The Democrat from Washington state made clear then 鈥� and to us 鈥� that she鈥檚 on 鈥渢eam flats.鈥�
Which may point to her聽practical聽style in a key role heading into the November elections: making sure her party is doing all it can to regain the House majority. The goal is tantalizingly close. The Democrats need a net gain of only four seats (in a chamber of 435) to retake control. But it won鈥檛 be easy. Most races aren鈥檛 competitive 鈥� a sign of today鈥檚 polarization and of how congressional districts are often drawn to favor one party or the other.
Sitting before her on the breakfast table, Ms. DelBene has a cheat sheet listing the 65 districts she and her committee are tracking 鈥� including 20 鈥渞ed to blue鈥� candidates, 鈥渢he folks who are looking to flip seats across the country鈥� from Republican to Democratic, she says.
Ms. DelBene, an MBA with a career in tech before her first election to Congress in 2012, brings an analytical eye to the task and a background as a moderate. It鈥檚 surely no accident that before House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries tapped her to run the DCCC, she chaired the centrist New Democrat Coalition.
鈥淚 do think,鈥� Ms. DelBene says, 鈥渢hat you鈥檙e a better legislator when you hear differing points of view.鈥�
