Highlights from Wednesday’s independent expenditures:
• I hope you weren’t gullible enough to buy the NRCC disinformation campaign that they were abandoning the campaigns of Curt Weldon (PA-07) and Joy Padgett (OH-18). On the contrary, they haven’t given up. The NRCC spent nearly $650,000 smearing Joe Sestak and $230,000 attacking Zack Space today. Does that sound like “retreat” to you?
• Notable DCCC buys: $673k in AZ-05, both attacking Hayworth and supporting Harry Mitchell; $100k in CA-11 supporting McNerney and attacking Pombo; $530k in CO-07 supporting Ed Perlmutter and attacking Rick O’Donnell (we actually figured this one was locked up); $500k in CT-02 against Rob Simmons and for Joe Courtney; $472k in CT-05 against Nancy Johnson and for Chris Murphy; $628k in FL-22 attacking Clay Shaw; $1.3 million in IL-06 against Peter Roskam and for Tammy Duckworth (holy hell); $550k against David McSweeney in IL-08; $1.2 million in IN-09 against Mike Sodrel and for Baron Hill; $320k for KY-03 against Ann Northup; $720k in KY-04 against Geoff Davis; $123k in MN-01 for Tim Walz and against Gil Gutknecht; $400k in MN-06 against Michele Bachmann; $110k in NE-03 against Adrian Smith; $426k in NM-01 against Heather Wilson; $308k in NV-03 against Jon Porter and for Tessa Hafen; $426k in NY-24 for Mike Arcuri and against Raymond Meier; $226k in NY-26 against NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds; $375k in OH-01 against Steve Chabot; $366k in OH-15 against Deborah Pryce; $640k in OH-18 against Joy Padgett; $250k in PA-04 against Melissa Hart and for Jason Altmire; $276k in VA-02 against Thelma Drake; $124k in WA-05 against Cathy McMorris; $640k in WA-08 against Dave Reichert.
• The NRCC has followed the DCCC into KS-02. As a response to the surprise $650,000 dropped by the DCCC in this district earlier this week, they’ve placed a $220k ad buy against Boyda, which is a signal that the DCCC’s incursion was worth it. Similarly, following the DCCC’s recent expansion into KY-03 on behalf of John Yarmuth, the NRCC has put up $200k into this district today. They’re also putting up $350k attacking Dan Maffei in NY-25.
• ID-01: The Club For Growth is pumping an emergency $260k into this district to defend their golden boy, Bill “Brain Fade” Sali, who just may prove to be the only unelectable Republican in Idaho.