A House Debrief with DCCC Executive Director Tim Persico

11/15/22 • 45 min

Tim Persico, the Executive Director of the DCCC, provides a post-election debrief with his thoughts on all things 2022 House races. He gets under the hood as to how House Democrats beat the odds to exceed pundit expectations...and weighs in on the winning blend of messaging for candidates, the leadership provided by Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney and Speaker Pelosi, specific seats that helped Democrats buck the midterm trends, the tools and tactics the DCCC utlized this cycle, & much more with one of the key architects of House Democrats' impressive 2022 cycle.

IN THIS EPISODE...

The latest post-election math about control of the House...

How previous DCCC post-mortems helped prep Tim run the organization...

Tim’s macro view of how House Democrats overperformed expectations...

Tim recounts the critical decision by DCCC Chair Maloney to take a risk and go for the majority instead of taking a more cautious approach to hold losses to a minimum...

Tim’s take on whether Democrats won these races late or always had the advantage....

Tim on what messaging worked well for Democratic candidates...

Tim talks leadership lessons learned from Nancy Pelosi...

A few seats Tim was confident Dems could win despite pundit skepticism...

Tim’s initial thoughts on why New York was a tough state for House Dems...

The DCCC’s approach to digital communications...

Lessons learned from digesting hundreds of internal campaign polls...

How Tim handled getting advice from a 220+ member Democratic Caucus...

Tim evangelizes on why a finance background is a good path to rising up the ladder in politics...

Tim compliments some of the strategies utilized by the NRCC...

What Tim is most proud of from this cycle running the DCCC...

AND American treasures, asymmetrical disadvantages, Michael Bennet, big thinking thoughts, building runways, Cheri Bustos, canaries in coal mines, Yadira Caraveo, cookie-cutter stuff, Karen Defilippi, Dirtbags, Isaac Fitzgerald, fully-formed human beings, Tommy Garcia, graybeards, the Hudson Valley, hybrid ads, late movers, left-handed Methodists, Elaine Luria, massive things, moon suits, Patrick Murphy, Wiley Nickel, noisy data, non-linear benefits, pet peeves, pipe bombs, a Pittsburgh Republican, pivot points, pre post-mortems, Christie Roberts, Chuck Schumer, sheer chaos, Eric Sorensen, sour electorates, Abigail Spanberger, special masters, Emilia Sykes, Tony Vargas, walkabouts, Jennifer Wextons, whisper quiet & more!

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IN THIS EPISODE...

The latest post-election math about control of the House...

How previous DCCC post-mortems helped prep Tim run the organization...

Tim’s macro view of how House Democrats overperformed expectations...

Tim recounts the critical decision by DCCC Chair Maloney to take a risk and go for the majority instead of taking a more cautious approach to hold losses to a minimum...

Tim’s take on whether Democrats won these races late or always had the advantage....

Tim on what messaging worked well for Democratic candidates...

Tim talks leadership lessons learned from Nancy Pelosi...

A few seats Tim was confident Dems could win despite pundit skepticism...

Tim’s initial thoughts on why New York was a tough state for House Dems...

The DCCC’s approach to digital communications...

Lessons learned from digesting hundreds of internal campaign polls...

How Tim handled getting advice from a 220+ member Democratic Caucus...

Tim evangelizes on why a finance background is a good path to rising up the ladder in politics...

Tim compliments some of the strategies utilized by the NRCC...

What Tim is most proud of from this cycle running the DCCC...

Previous Episode

Election Day Escapism Episode: Talking (Arguing) Travel with Rebecca Pearcey

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It's Election Day 2022...so instead of more predictions and punditry, Rebecca Pearcey is back to dive into what political consultants talk about most amongst ourselves...travel tips, hacks, and preferences. In this conversation, Rebecca and I discuss and debate best practices for aiports, flights, hotels, taxis, and all things being a political operative on the road. Hopefully this episode can be an enjoyable 51-minute escape during your Election Day (or aftermath) while waiting for votes to be cast and results to come in.
Rebecca talks her intense travel experiences with Elizabeth Warren on the '20 campaign trail...
A stark disagreement on how early to get to the airport before a flight...
Butting heads on when it makes sense to check a bag for a flight...
Aisle or window? How to choose your seat on the plane?
During the flight...work on the plane? Sleep? Watch a movie?
Rebecca's strong take on airline wifi...
How loyal should you be to the big airline and hotel brands?
Airport lounges: worth it or not?
Zac on an underappreciated in-flight beverage...
Best transportation to and from the airport...
What should go into choosing a hotel?
Agreement on a new option that should exist in hotel apps...
Two very different perspectives on rental cars...
Pearcey on packing...
Pre-check and/or Clear: worthwhile or not?
Zac's restaurant recommendation / attempt to get a sponsorship from a national chain...
Rebecca and Zac give off-the-beaten-path travel destinations...

Next Episode

Fetterman Campaign Manager Brendan McPhillips & A Deep Dive into 2022's Premier Senate Race

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Brendan McPhillips was the campaign manager for John Fetterman's general election campaign, helping guide it to a win over Dr. Oz in the cycle's most chaotic and closey watched Senate race. In this conversation, Brendan talks his path to politics that started in a community college in conservative Southern California and includes running Iowa for Buttigieg in the 2020 primaries and working as Biden PA State Director in the general election. And, of course, we go deep on Brendan's time with Fetterman...from meeting him over a decade ago, running his '16 Senate race, taking the helm of Fetterman 2022 this spring...the candidates, the stroke, the message, the attacks, the debate, and the win.

IN THIS EPISODE...

Brendan’s path from conservative Southern California to working in Democratic politics...

Brendan runs Iowa for Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 primaries...

Brendan crosses paths with John Fetterman over a decade ago...

The Brendan McPhillips 101 on how to run a race in Pennsylvania...

Brendan’s take on the Fetterman dominant primary win...

Brendan takes the helm as manager on the heels of the primary win & health scare...

Brendan breaks down the case the campaign made against Dr. Oz...

How the campaign beat back the “soft on crime” attack...
Brendan weighs in on the Mastriano Effect on the Senate race...
Brendan takes aim at grifting Democratic Scam PACs...

Deep inside the Fetterman vs Oz debate...

Brendan’s expectations heading into Election Day...and his analysis of the 5-point Fetterman win...

Brendan’s take on Pennsylvania’s status as a swing state heading into 2024...

Lessons other campaigns can learn from the Fetterman win...

AND Amtrak tours, annoying naysayers, Val Arkoosh, Tony Baker, Joe Biden, Bob & Barbara’s, George W. Bush, carbon copies, James Carville, Bob Casey, Dave Chase, crazy kitchen cabinets, dive bars, gas bills, GED classes, Andrew Gillum, Lindsay Graham, grocery clerks, HQ Analytics, Ben Halle, hard-ass bouncers, hucksters, Bill Hyers, interesting dudes, Iowa steak frys, Johnstown, Rebecca Katz, Conor Lamb, Malcolm Kenyatta, media buyers from DC, mega churches, Middle Seat, the New Jersey State Hall of Fame, Notre Dame, Barack Obama, old adages, off-track betting, phone trees, Ed Rendell, resident gofers, Mike Schmuhl, Rick Scott, Josh Shapiro, The Situation, Snookie, special sauce, South Bend, the Susquehanna, Temecula, thrilling the DCCC, the Turf Club, UFCW, VFW halls, weirdos, wild rides...& more!