PX column: Washington Democrats deploy resources to support Aftab Pureval's campaign

Washington Democrats have officially signaled they view Cincinnati's Aftab Pureval as a top-tier congressional candidate.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Thursday it has made Pureval's battle against long-time incumbent Steve Chabot in Ohio's 1st Congressional District the organization's top targeted race in the Buckeye State – and one of its highest priorities nationally.

The DCCC has decided to make 33 races nationwide its top priority, with Pureval's being the only one targeted in Ohio.

“Aftab Pureval has already proven he can win tough races when he became the first Democratic Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in more than 100 years," DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, a Congressman from New Mexico, said in a statement. "With a strong base of local support, innovative ideas and a dedication to working for the people of Southwest Ohio, Aftab is poised to defeat yet another establishment Republican incumbent.”

What it means: The DCCC will deploy resources to help Pureval, the former Procter & Gamble attorney running his first congressional campaign. That means Washington will provide fundraising support and assist the campaign in recruiting staff and volunteers. The DCCC will determine in the fall whether it will ratchet up its support for Pureval by pouring in its own money and deploying staffers to Ohio.

PX column: Aftab Pureval gaining ground on Steve Chabot, national prognosticator says

Why this happened: Pureval had to raise a certain amount of money to trigger the DCCC's full involvement. His campaign has not disclosed what he's raised overall since jumping into the race in late January. But he quickly showed in his 2016 race against longtime Clerk of Courts Tracy Winkler that Pureval can raise big money.

In the first 24 hours after launching his congressional campaign, Pureval raised $130,000 – more than Chabot brought in during the entire fourth quarter of 2017.

Historical context: The DCCC has deployed resources before to try to knock off Chabot, who is seeking a 12th term. Washington Dems helped the campaigns of John Cranley in the early 2000s and Roxanne Qualls in 1998. Chabot won both times.

Steve Driehaus remains the only Democrat to beat Chabot since he first won in the mid-1990s. Driehaus won in 2008, but two years later the DCCC pulled its resources for his re-election campaign because it saw the race as unwinnable.

Chabot won 52 percent of the vote to return to Washington, but Driehaus still performed well. He took 45 percent of the vote, despite no help from Washington and two third-party candidates being in the race.

The district was gerrymandered to include red-leaning Warren County in 2012, and no one has seriously challenged Chabot since.

Politics Extra is a column looking inside Greater Cincinnati and Ohio politics. Follow Enquirer political columnist Jason Williams on Twitter @jwilliamscincy.