Why would anyone want to run for Congress? (NJ)

[RogueBeaver]

Long and fascinating NJ article on Congressional recruitment in both parties.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-would-anyone-want-to-run-for-congress-20130418

[Zioneer]

Very interesting; I always wondered how they recruited people. Now if only those excellent Democratic recruiters could give the deep-red state legislatures a hand...

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Its a vicious cycle for one produced by gerrymandering, money and the need to please primary (right) and donors (left) making general elections harder. And if control is expected to be in GOP hands, then you have trouble recruit Dem candidates for the House because of that. That is why a lot of reasonably winnable territory in the MA House and other places went unchallenged, because who would want to be one of the thirty in a chamber of 150 or 160. This destroys the bench in deep blue or red states and reduces competition for House, Senate and Governorships. We are probably seeing this creep up the ballot to the House and even the Senate.

It takes more money then ever, even more so if you don't have high name recognition and finally there are two many groups to be pleased and appeased before you even get out of the gate and in many cases the candidate's fate has already been thus sealed. The money flows to the incumbent from the big money groups and unless there is a reasonable chance of a win, the challenger will get very little.

So yea, we are probably going back to a high percentage of congressman being returned to office again. Until the next wave washes a bunch out from one side or the other.