Well, I knew that times were lean at the NRCC, but this is a whole ‘nother level of stinginess:
Visiting Huntsville and Montgomery on Monday, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. gave a $5,000 check from the NRCC to each one: 5th District GOP hopeful Wayne Parker, a Huntsville insurance executive, and 2nd District candidate state Rep. Jay Love of Montgomery.
Cole said the NRCC expects to put about $80,000 into each of the races before the Nov. 4 general election. That’s as much as the committee plans to put into any campaign. He said the races are among the top 10 priorities for the NRCC, and he expects candidates will have to spend at least $1 million to win in each district.
It’s difficult to imagine the NRCC spending a mere $80K on any race among their “top 10 priorities”, especially in the 2nd District, where the DCCC has reserved nearly $600K worth of ads for the open seat race. Just take a look at the kind of money that Tom Reynolds threw around last time (see here, here, and here).
Now, I realize that the NRCC is cash-strapped, but they do have nearly $8.5M on-hand, and surely they’ll have much more than that in the bank to spend come fall. Cole’s statement is altogether baffling. Is he just trying to light a fire under local donors, or is he saving the bulk of the NRCC’s booty for their other eight “priorities”?
(Hat-tip: Left in Alabama)
I’ve gotta imagine they’re going to spend it all on incumbents and possibly protecting a couple open seats like these, trying to cut their losses. Except for maybe 2 or 3 cases, challengers will get next to nothing, because they really don’t have many candidates that have a chance of winning.
”Any campaign”. Should that not be ‘either’ campaign? Or does it mean they are so strapped for cash and have so much defense that $80k is the max for every competitive district in the country? Surely not.
Fear not brave Republicans……….. MUMPOWER TO THE RESCUE!!!!
As soon as he heard Tom Cole’s cry for help, Mumpower and his $906.25 rush to the aid of conservatives.
Mumpower’s booming voice rings out, “Fear not brothers, one does not need money nor paid staff to win elections. Only a basic knowledge of the English language and an undying love of Reagan.”
His fly by night campaign brings victory to Republicans across the nation. Thank God a hero has emerged, one that will always be there when liberalism raises its ugly head.
[Stayed tuned for Act II were John McCain saves College Republicans using computer illiteracy]
taking his comments literally, if he plans on putting only 80,000 into any 1 campaign, he has enough money as of his last filing to put 80,000 into 106 campaigns.
I don’t know about you, but even in my most optomistic scenarios, I have not come up with 106 competetive races. Unless Cole plans on spending in districts with close PVI’s or high African American percentages that have unknwon Democratic opponents like WI 1 or MI 3.
thats should be MS 3, not MI 3