Newly leaked documents reveal how deeply involved national Democrats were in critical primary races in southeastern Pennsylvania, shedding new light on candidate recruitment in a pivotal year.
The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, reports this afternoon that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee went to great lengths to try to defeat Mike Parrish, a Democratic candidate in a contested primary in the Sixth Congressional District.
The documents, handed over by hackers known as "Guccifer 2.0" show that the House Democrats' campaign wing courted a small businesswoman named Marian Moskowitz to run against Parrish:
The Hill report reveals that "Guccifer 2.0" is widely believed to be a cover name for Russian Intelligence, which was supposedly behind the hacking attacks on the Democratic National Committee earlier this summer.
Parrish is now running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6th. The Cook Political Report has rated the seat as "likely Republican."
As The Hill notes, there's nothing particularly unusual about this kind of behind the scenes drama. What's rare is it being held up for public scrutiny.
The documents released to The Hill on Wednesday come in addition "to five Pennsylvania specific documents released publicly ... including a November memo from the DCCC to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) identifying House Districts 6, 7 and 8 as priorities for the party in the Keystone State.
"The additional documents released to the Hill, include vetting documents, internal polling, and memos - including near-monthly updated versions of the same Pelosi memo as the three races progressed," The Hill reported.
The 7th District seat, based in Delaware County, is currently held by GOP U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan. The 8th District, based in Bucks County, is an open seat, where longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick is stepping down.
Of all the state's contested Congressional races, Democrats widely believe their best shot at victory is in the 8th District.