Editor’s note: Chris Deluzio won his race by a margin of 6.8%; through our readers, Blue Tent raised $4,640 for Deluzio. To see how other Blue Tent recommended candidates performed this cycle, read our full 2022 midterms rundown.
Chris Deluzio is such a stereotypical candidate that he has a dog named “Yankee Doodle.” He’s a veteran (former Navy officer), a voting rights attorney (he worked for the Brennan Center), and even helped organize the University of Pittsburgh faculty union when he worked there. It’s fitting that he’s running in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, currently represented by Conor Lamb, another central-casting politician who left the seat in his unsuccessful Senate bid. The 17th is a classic swing district that includes some of Pittsburgh suburbs as well as the more Republican Beaver County, though Democrats have held onto the seat since 2003. Deluzio hopes to continue that tradition, but in a cycle that will be very tough for Democrats.
Blue Tent views giving to Deluzio’s campaign as a priority. Below, we explore three key questions that small and medium donors should answer before supporting candidates. (See how we evaluate candidates.)
Is this race important?
House races are a little lower priority than Senate races at the moment simply because it seems overwhelmingly likely at this point that Democrats are doomed to lose the House. But the margin of defeat is important—Democrats are trying to prevent a massive wave election that will make retaking Congress’s lower chamber more difficult than it otherwise would be. Losing this blue seat would be a bad sign.
Can Deluzio win?
This race is rated a toss-up by Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report, which makes sense given that the district voted for President Joe Biden by just 2 points. Deluzio should be a strong candidate, but his opponent Jeremy Shaffer (who is running as a relative moderate) is no lightweight, either. Barring something unforeseen, this will be a very close race.
Does he need the money?
Historically, relatively moderate mainstream Democrats have had little trouble raising money, and Deluzio has done a decent job, bringing in $2.3 million so far. The DCCC is also spending in this race, underscoring its importance. Shaffer has raised about has much thanks to $1 million in self-funding. Deulzio’s admittedly isn’t the type of candidate who attracts a huge amount of small-donor dollars (he has too much of an establishment vibe for that), but he warrants attention. We rate him a priority for donors.