I don’t know if this is a sign that it’s over for John McCain or simply a benefit of having so much money, but the Politico is reporting that the RNC is planning to pump $5 million into senate races to protect endangered incumbents.
The Republican National Committee, growing nervous over the prospect of Democrats’ winning a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, is considering tapping into a $5 million line of credit this week to aid an increasing number of vulnerable incumbents, top Republicans say.
With party strategists fearing a bloodbath at the polls, GOP officials are shifting to triage mode, determining who can be saved and where to best spend their money.
And with the House and Senate Republican campaign committees being drastically outspent by their Democratic counterparts, and outside groups such as Freedom’s Watch offering far less help than was once anticipated, Republicans are turning to the national party committee as a lender of last resort.
A decision is imminent because television time must be reserved and paid for upfront, and available slots are dwindling.
One thing that stands out is that there is no indication that they plan to help out Bob Schafer in Colorado or Wicker in Mississippi. What was also interesting is one GOP staffer who thinks the RNC shoud bail on McCain altogether.
But that the party would use new money to block a Democratic triumph in the Senate rather than boost the odds of its presidential nominee speaks volumes about what many Republicans think is still salvageable. And some in the GOP, especially those working on House and Senate races in which their candidates’ poll numbers swoon during the financial crisis, are increasingly agitated about money being spent on what all observers, including McCain, acknowledge is an uphill fight on top of the ticket.
“They should pull the money from McCain like [former RNC Chairman] Haley Barbour did in ’96, when Dole slid away, and funnel it to save some Senate and House seats as best they can,” said one longtime GOP strategist who is working on congressional races.
If I haf to guess, I would say such cash will go to help Saxby Chambliss, Mitch McConnell and John Sununu. If I were the DSCC, I would see if they can open up a line of credit like the nrcc did, or find a way to raise a quick $10 million. The RNC does have a lot of money and I do not want to pass up a once-in-a-generation opportunity because of money.
Just the headline I’ve been waiting for. I love it.
My guess is it will be pumped mostly into MS and maybe GA and KY. They might also try to keep one of the more solidly Democratic seats, my guess is Minnesota or Alaska.
1. NRCC, not RNCC. With such a well structured diary, that was the only thing I found wrong.
2. This, coupled with Dole’s need to self-fund are just a hilarious exploitation of their financial problems.
3. I was confused by this. Is it saying they are thinking of spending 5 million dollars on behalf of senate candidates, or taking a 5 million dollar loan and spending that on senate candidates?
Which bank is going to give them a loan? lol Sounds like a bad investment to me. Granted, the banks seem to have made quite a few of those recently
The RNC is not the NRSC. The RNC is the Republican National Committee, and they are loaded. They single-handedly give the republicans as a whole a fundraising edge over the democrats when you combine the DNC, DCCC and DSCC vs. the RNC, NRCC and NRSC.
This might mean that they have given up on McLame, but it’s bad news for our senate prospects. Not that more money will make a difference in Kentucky. It might in Georgia. Let’s hope they spend it in Virginia and New Mexico.
has got to be kidding themselves. I really hope McCain catches up in polls, because I do not want the RNC flooding money into these Senate races. If we cannot get 60 seats in the Senate, Obama in the White House will be absolutely worthless.