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<\/p>\nSource: Politics<\/p>\n
More and more people are getting the Covid vaccine, but for party fundraisers and members of Congress on the Democratic side, it’s not quite time to be piling into overpriced steakhouses or Georgetown soirees once again.<\/p>\n
A few Democrats have dipped their toes in the water with outdoor events, but the party has mostly stuck to virtual fundraisers. A list of more than 80 upcoming fundraisers for House Democrats sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday and obtained by POLITICO includes no in-person events, and a half-dozen Democratic lobbyists and consultants said they couldn\u2019t recall being invited to any such gatherings. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to put the cart before the horse,\u201d said Justin Davey, a Democratic fundraiser who hasn\u2019t organized an in-person event since the pandemic started. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to do events and then wait for the pandemic to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats\u2019 restraint comes as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Wolensky warned this week that the country faces another virus surge, citing mass travel, the rise of more contagious variants and loosening restrictions. President Joe Biden for the first time urged governors to slow their reopening plans and to keep mask mandates in place as leaders race to make shots widely available. When Biden headlined a fundraiser for Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms last week, it was a virtual one.<\/p>\n
Democrats\u2019 caution poses a sharp contrast with a growing number of lawmakers on the GOP side of the aisle, who have been hobnobbing in person with donors for weeks, if not months, and are showing no desire to slow down.<\/p>\n
Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) hosted a ski trip fundraiser this past weekend in Park City, Utah, joined by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Smith (R-Mo.), according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.<\/p>\n
In May, donors will be able to join Reps. William Timmons (R-S.C.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and Lance Gooden (R-Texas) on a fundraising trip to Key Biscayne, Fla. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) is set to host a spring retreat at the Inn at Willow Grove in Virginia. And Republican lawmakers are convening breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the same Washington restaurants that hosted their pre-pandemic fundraisers as well as the Capitol Hill Club.<\/p>\n
A list of upcoming fundraisers sent out by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday lists 204 upcoming events, more than half of which are described as \u201cin person.\u201d <\/p>\n
The DCCC declined to comment on whether it had issued guidelines for holding fundraisers during the pandemic. The NRCC didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The National Republican Senatorial Committee hasn\u2019t \u201cissued formal guidance and encourage[s] all Senators to follow local guidelines for their fundraisers,\u201d according to an NRSC spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Republican lawmakers and donors have for months been far more willing to meet and mingle in the flesh \u2014 as was in evidence last summer when Republicans held a limited in-person convention while Democrats kept everything virtual. But now that Washington\u2019s ruling classes are mostly vaccinated, the divide in fundraising approaches is getting starker.<\/p>\n
More than half a dozen GOP lobbyists, consultants and fundraisers said they\u2019ve witnessed an uptick in interest in these live events in recent weeks, particularly now that lawmakers and many donors have had their shots and the weather is improving.<\/p>\n
The return to real life fundraising, they said, seems to stem from the same pandemic fatigue afflicting the general public, which has led many Americans to return to normal life even though the majority of the country remains unvaccinated. But there are also downsides to virtual fundraising that have persuaded GOP fundraisers to shun it, including that <\/b>the confines of Zoom and other online platforms don\u2019t allow for one-on-one time with lawmakers. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are certainly over the Zooms, if you will,\u201d said one Republican fundraiser who\u2019s started planning in-person events. \u201cThe weather is getting nicer, so doing an outdoor reception is a feasible idea \u2014 whereas in January that wasn\u2019t going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A few Democrats are also trying out in-person events.<\/b> Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) are set to host a fundraiser benefiting Kildee\u2019s leadership PAC next month at the Whiskey Creek golf course in Maryland, according to an invitation.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Kildee\u2019s PAC said the fundraiser would be held entirely outdoors and that attendees would \u201cstrictly\u201d follow state and federal guidelines for such events.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhiskey Creek is following enhanced sanitation procedures, including sanitizing golf carts,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThere will be no communal food at the event (everything will be individually boxed or wrapped).\u201d<\/p>\n
A Democratic lobbyist said the handful of other invitations he\u2019d seen for in-person fundraisers were also for events taking place outdoors.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are cautious, and understandably so,\u201d said Michael Fraioli, whose Democratic fundraising firm hadn\u2019t held an in-person fundraiser in more than a year.<\/p>\n
Some Democratic lobbyists said they thought in-person events might resume this summer as Covid restrictions eased and more people were vaccinated. \u201cThere\u2019s been some talk of hopefully doing an in person event or (perhaps) even a PAC trip later this year but it\u2019s all in the \u2018Let\u2019s see how it goes\u2019 phase,\u201d Paul Bock, a Democratic lobbyist, wrote in an email to POLITICO.<\/p>\n
And the GOP lawmakers who do opt to host in-person <\/b>events have a more limited guest list from which to draw. Some trade associations bar their lobbyists from attending in-person shindigs, one fundraiser said, while others leave it to their employees\u2019 discretion. Among those who can attend, there\u2019s also the divide between those who find it easier to stick to Zoom and those who prefer to go out for a party. <\/b>Local health restrictions \u2014 particularly in D.C. \u2014 also keep numbers small.<\/p>\n
For now, Republicans have more political cover to host events \u2014 whereas for Democrats, who have largely come down much harder on the side of public health precautions, the optics are more fraught. And so, the party\u2019s fundraisers have stuck with the virtual money-raising circuit. And they\u2019ve endured a load of Zoom fatigue in the process. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think [virtual events] will ever go away completely, but I\u2019ve had some lobbyists say if they never have to Zoom again they\u2019ll be thrilled,\u201d Davey said. He noted that he recently re-upped his Zoom subscription for another year.<\/p>\n