The DSCC is widening their playing field, starting with Kentucky:
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) indicated Wednesday that Democrats are poised to pick up seven seats or more in November.
Schumer also announced that the DSCC has started airing an ad going after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). […]
Schumer said that both McConnell’s race in Kentucky and GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ contest in Georgia have become newly competitive in just the past two weeks, with Democratic candidates pulling even in both public and private DSCC polls.
The DSCC ad against McConnell attacks him on the economy, but Schumer said the committee was largely steering clear of ads critical of endangered Republicans who voted for the recent $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan. McConnell is facing millionaire health care executive Bruce Lunsford (D).
If you ever needed an indication that Kentucky was a real race (aside from those three recent polls showing a dead heat), now you have it: the DSCC is lending Lunsford a real assist. We’ll post a copy of the ad when it becomes available online.
And what about Georgia, another race that has been quickly emerging in recent weeks?
Schumer would not say whether the DSCC would begin airing ads in Georgia for Chambliss’ opponent, former state Rep. Jim Martin (D), but said the committee has already committed funds to field operations there.
Advice to Chuck: Break the bank. Take out a loan. Pawn your watch. Rob Evan Bayh at gunpoint. Do whatever it takes, but please fund this race.
SSP currently rates the Kentucky and Georgia Senate races as Lean Republican.
UPDATE: Here’s the ad:
but shouldn’t Ted Kennedy be able to fully fund the Georgia race? How much does he have in the bank?
unless this is a way of saying “hey this race is competetive” i thought lunsfords big thing was that he was a self funder. send this money to georgia, oklahoma, idaho, somewhere else.
Democrats need to open up their wallets so it doesn’t backfire as a big waste of cash. And so we can also play in Georgia at the same time.
Go in on Georgia.
Another rocking chairs ad in NC.
Deep pockets and it seems like their looking at the wrong state. If there’s one candidate who can’t win without DSCC help its Martin, he’s got no personal wealth and because of Georgia’s riddiculously late primary he had no time to really raise the dough.
I’m with James, do whatever you have to but get Martin some help.
According to my research on opensecrets — these should be our big targets:
all cash-on-hand is as of June 30, 2008…
Rockefeller — $3.34m coh — ask to give $1m
Jack Reed — $3.77m coh — ask to give $1m
Max Baucus — $5.46m coh — ask to give $1m (in addition to the $500k he already gave this year)
Patty Murray — $2.05m coh — ask to give $500k (up for re-election in 2010)
SCHUMER — $10.31m coh — ask to give $2m (he won’t give more, and won’t give this — he’s always been worried about being outspent since D’Amato)
Evan Bayh — $10.63m coh — ask to give $2m (also won’t…the selfish bastard)
Amy Klobuchar — $504k coh — ask to give $100k
Jeff Bingaman — $759k coh — ask to give $250k
Russ Feingold — $2.27m coh — ask to give $500k (up for re-election in 2010)
Tom Carper — $903k coh — ask to give $250k
Dianne Feinstein — $2.98m coh — ask to give $1m
Ron Wyden — $1.27m coh — ask to give $500k
Pat Leahy — $1.12m coh — ask to give $500k
Bill Nelson — $1.82m coh — ask to give $250k
Joe Biden — $1.9m coh – ask to give $1m
Bob Menendez — $824k coh — ask to give $500k (he wants to move up in leadership and be dscc chair afterall….)
Carl Levin — $4.3m coh — ask to give $1m
Barbara Mikulski — $658k coh — ask to give $250k (she cares about the dem women — this would help get 2 more dem women in there!!)
By my calculations, this would give the DSCC an additional $13.35m to spend to shore up wins in Mississippi and North Carolina — and to really make Kentucky and Georgia competitive. Even half that amount — $6.65m would go a long way to do that….
WE NEED TO GET ON THE PHONES PEOPLE!!!
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com…
Confirms that Texas is out of reach due to excessive cost but surprisingly bullish on Maine.
mentions McConnell ducking the League of Women Voters debate.
Also, Wes Clark endorses Lunsford! (in an e-mail from today)