Tag: Independent Expenditures

A round-up of all the House race Independent Expenditures field in the last seven days:

As always, you can find more information about these expenditures (which don’t include electioneering expenditures by the likes of Freedom’s Crotch and the Dem-allied Majority Action) in our Independent Expenditure Tracker.

Note: In contrast to previous weeks, I’ve now included every race where money has been spent, even if there’s been no action this week.

Special note: The National Rifle Association is beginning to make some pretty piddly expenditures in favor of Republicans, but I’ve chosen not to include this in the chart — the sums being spent are so inconsequential and minor that I figure it’s not worth the effort. Indeed, in many House races in 2006 where the group spent money, many (if not most) of the totals spent were under $10K per race. If they start spending some significant dollars, I’ll track it, but for now they’re off the charts.

Boom goes the dynamite. The following independent expenditures were filed with the FEC tonight:

The expenditures — mostly for TV buys and some mail — amount to the biggest single-day money dump for the DCCC so far this cycle.

The beleaguered NRCC is up with their first real TV buy of the fall in PA-03 — a telling sign of GOP Rep. Phil English’s vulnerability. They should also be posting a buy against Dem Rep. Steve Kagen (WI-08) soon.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please check SSP’s Independent Expenditure Tracker.

A summary of the independent expenditures for House races filed in the last seven days:

Don’t let that massive blue-red discrepancy lull you into complacency — these are independent expenditures, but 501(c)(4) groups like Freedom’s Crotch and the Club For Growth are in on the action, as well. The CFG posted a $250K expenditure against Dem Rep. Chris Carney, and the Crotch is going up on the air with $1.3 million worth of multi-week ad buys in support of slimeball Republicans in IL-10, NJ-07, NM-01, and NV-03.

For more details on these and other expenditures, check out SSP’s Independent Expenditure Tracker.

The DCCC has filed nearly $1.6 million in media buys in support of House Democratic candidates tonight. Here’s the damage:

This is on top of $1.4 million in media buys filed in 15 other districts yesterday. Tonight marks the first time that the DCCC has spent money on TV ads in LA-06, NJ-03, NM-02, NV-03, and WI-08.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please consult SSP’s Independent Expenditure Tracker.

The DCCC filed $1.37 million worth in media buys in support of Democratic House candidates tonight. Here’s the damage:

Tonight marks the first time that the DCCC has aired ads in AZ-08, FL-16, KY-02, MD-01, and VA-11.

The lone GOP-friendly media buy comes from the bastards at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which is dropping cash in support of Republican Bill Cassidy (himself an MD) in his race against Don Cazayoux. See you in hell, eye doctors!

But don’t get the impression that this is one-sided affair just because the NRCC is holding its musket fire. Freedom’s Crotch is up with some ad buys of its own smearing Democrats:

• AL-02: $150,000
  

• IL-11: $430,000
  

• NJ-03: $74,000
  

• NJ-07: $500,000

The Crotch is also spending an unspecified amount on NM-01 and NV-03. Ugh.

A summary of House race independent expenditures made in the past seven days:

The DCCC continues to have the field to itself — with the notable exception of the National Association of Realtors, which is throwing down some serious cash to protect GOP Reps. Chris Shays and Joe Knollenberg. I suppose it’s sort of unsurprising that the Realtors are against Jim Himes — after all, Himes has spent the past several years working for an affordable housing nonprofit.

For more details on these expenditures, please check our Independent Expenditure Tracker.

The DCCC is opening up their floodgates to some serious advertising expenditures in support of Democratic House candidates. Tonight, the committee filed $1.75 million in advertising expenditures in 15 districts:

These are some of the first significant media buys that the DCCC has made this fall, including a whopping $500K dumped against Jeb Bradley in NH-01.

The NRCC is continuing to maintain radio silence, because they can’t afford to match pace. I wonder if they’ll do some serious deficit financing in order to stay afloat this year.

More details on these and other expenditures are available in SSP’s Independent Expenditure Tracker. The DCCC has made some of these ads available to view online on their multimedia page.

Once again, SSP rounds up all the House race independent expenditures made in the past seven days:

NARPAC is the National Association of Realtors PAC, which has so far has sided with Democratic incumbents this year, but I’ve heard buzz that the PAC will be spending some significant cash in support of at least one GOP member very shortly.

The DCCC is continuing to stretch out its head start over the tighter-budgeted NRCC, which so far has been limited to polling and a few direct expenditures (such as in MN-03).

For more details on these expenditures, please consult SSP’s Independent Expenditure Tracker (which is also available on the right-hand side bar under “Resources”). We keep it updated daily — or as needed.

Earlier this week, the DCCC unveiled an unprecedented fifth wave of its highly-touted “Red to Blue” fundraising and support program for Democratic candidates running in GOP-held House districts. With the DCCC bolstering the ranks of this program with so many up and comers, it’s worth asking: just how valuable is this endorsement, and what can its participants expect in terms of tangible support?

The “Red to Blue” distinction is essentially the DCCC’s stamp of confidence in a local campaign. Roll Call has more:

The list started in the 2004 cycle. Democratic consultant Mark Nevins worked at the DCCC before the list became akin to “the Good Housekeeping seal of approval” for Democratic Congressional races.

“If a candidate is on the Red to Blue program, it is an easy way to identify people who the party believes have a realistic shot at winning,” he said.

In other words, the distinction is an arrow drawn by the DCCC for potential donors saying: Hey, this candidate is worth your time — and money. CT-04 candidate Jim Himes sums it up well:

“It certainly got us a lot of assistance from the DCCC,” Himes said. “It certainly helped with validation and credibility, and it helped to some extent with fundraising as well.”

But after seven months on the list, Himes said Red to Blue was more helpful in the beginning stages of his campaign.

“I guess I would agree that the Red to Blue program is more helpful early on than when it comes down to people making a decision about voting,” he said. “At this point, my critical challenge is really telling my story in my district.”

In other words, the earlier a campaign can secure this endorsement, the more valuable it is in terms of attracting national donors. (That’s not to say that late-bloomers can’t win – but more on that below.)

But what about attracting cash infusions from the DCCC itself in the form of independent expenditures? Looking at each of the DCCC’s four waves of R2B in the 2006 cycle gives us a similar answer: the earlier that a campaign is added to the program, the more likely the committee has been to make independent expenditures in that particular race.

Let’s go through each of the DCCC’s Red to Blue waves in 2006, and tally up how much the DCCC spent on each race. We’ll start with the first wave, and continue with the remainder below the fold. (UPDATE: As per suggestions in the comments, I’ve added up the NRCC’s totals in these districts, too — to give you a sense of how much of a bullseye gets painted on an R2B candidate’s back.)

Wave 1 – April 27, 2006:

Wave 2 – July 13, 2006:

Wave 3 – September 18, 2006:

Wave 4 – October 27, 2006:

Now, it’s pretty clear that the addition of so many races to the R2B program a week and a half before election day was mostly a “pat on the back” exercise for many of these candidates rather than a legitimate showing of support, although it’s worth noting that we’re looking at five congressmen today who came out of that last-minute batch.

However, just about every candidate in the September 18th and earlier waves received a direct helping hand by the DCCC’s IE shop – with the exception of blue seaters who never really needed the help (Hirono, Hare and Sutton), and Phyllis Busansky, who never really stood much of a chance against a candidate named “Bilirakis”.

So with all that in mind, here are the five waves of Red to Blue that the DCCC has announced so far this year: Round one, two, three, four, and five.

Special note: I could not obtain figures for FL-13, but I do know that the DCCC funneled some considerable resources here.

It’s Sunday night, which means that it’s time for SSP round up all of the House race independent expenditures filed in the last seven days. Here’s the latest damage:

Most notably, the DCCC has entered AL-05, AZ-01, AZ-05, and PA-03 for the first time this year. It’s nice to see that Dave Schweikert is getting the warm general election welcome of a prompt bloody nose from the DCCC, and the committee’s targeting of the odious Phil English means that we can expect a hotly-contested race in PA-03.

The NRCC is still holding its fire, but Tom Cole has dipped into his kitty to fund a poll in OH-02. Will its findings ever see the light of day?

In case you missed it, last week’s round-up is available here.

For more specific details on these expenditures, please check out SSP’s daily Independent Expenditure Tracker.