Posted on 09/25/2007 2:43:52 PM PDT by Alter Kaker
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) reported raising $2.6 million in August for its efforts to coordinate the party’s 2008 national campaign for Senate seats. In doing so, the DSCC continued to outperform its partisan counterpart, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), according to monthly reports filed late last week with the Federal Election Commission.
There was some consolation for the GOP side, as the gap between the two committees was smaller than it has been in most of the months since the Democrats claimed control of the Senate in January. The Republicans’ Senate campaign unit raised $2.4 million in August.
But the Democratic committee, which is working for the 2008 elections to maintain or increase its narrow operational 51-49 Senate majority, still slightly expanded its big overall leads for the year. The DSCC raised a total of $36.7 million from Jan. 1 through the end of August; the NRSC reported 2007 year-to-date receipts of $20.5 million.
The DSCC also had a big cash-on-hand advantage as August ended, with $20.6 million in available funds to deploy in a handful of races for Republican seats in states where the GOP faces difficult challenges in 2008. The NRSC — defending a total of 22 seats to the Democrats’ 12 and burdened by a widespread perception that they are unlikely to win back a Senate majority next year — ended August with $7.1 million cash-on-hand.
The one major area in which the Republicans held an edge is in debts owed. The NRSC at the end of August had no outstanding debt, while the DSCC owed $3.5 million — though that figure had been reduced by a $500,000 loan repayment made in August.
The DSCC owes its fundraising edge in part to its ability to attract large donations from campaign committees of Senate incumbents, something at which the Democrats have been more successful than have the Republicans among their sitting senators. The DSCC received a $250,000 contribution last month from the campaign committee of veteran Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The NRSC did not receive any August contributions from Republican senators.
Members of Congress are permitted to transfer unlimited sums to national party committees (such as the DSCC or NRSC) from their personal campaign committees.
The national party committees are allowed to transfer unlimited sums to state party organizations, and the DSCC meted out about $52,000 in August to Democratic affiliates in three states that are holding competitive Senate elections in 2008: New Hampshire, where former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen thrilled party activists with her recent decision to challenge Republican Sen. John E. Sununu; Louisiana, where two-term Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu is expected to face a serious Republican challenger; and Oregon, where state House Speaker Jeff Merkley is the top Democratic challenger to two-term Republican Sen. Gordon Smith.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC)
• August 2007 receipts: $2.6 million
• Cycle-to-date receipts: $36.7 million
• August 2007 expenditures: $2.5 million
• Cycle-to-date expenditures: $16.1 million
• Cash on hand, August 31: $20.6 million
• Debts, August 31: $3.5 million
Notable contributions to the DSCC from individual donors
• Stephen King, author: $28,500
• Andrew Scheinman, film producer and director with Castle Rock Entertainment: $28,500
• Herbert Simon, developer: $20,000
• Daniel H. Stern, president of Reservoir Capital Group: $12,500
• Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Lazard: $14,250
Notable contributions to the DSCC from campaign committees of or “leadership PACs” associated with Democratic senators
• Edward M. Kennedy, Mass.: $250,000
• Benjamin L. Cardin, Md.: $10,000
• Byron Dorgan, N.D.: $10,000
• Former Sen. Donald W. Riegle, Mich: $10,000
Notable transfers to state Democratic Party organizations
• New Hampshire: $35,000
• Louisiana: $9,375
• Oregon: $7,700
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
• August 2007 receipts: $2.4 million
• Cycle-to-date receipts: $20.5 million
• August 2007 expenditures: $1.7 million
• Cycle-to-date expenditures: $13.5 million
• Cash-on-hand, August 31: $7.1 million
• Debts, August 31: $0
Notable contributions to the NRSC from individual donors
• J. Willard Marriott, chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International: $25,000
• Richard Marriott, chairman of Host Hotels and Resorts: $25,000
• Alan Meltzer, chairman and chief executive officer of Wind Up Records: $28,500
• Alfred M. Rankin Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of NACCO Industries Inc.: $15,000
• Blake Roney, president of Nu Skin Enterprises: $25,000
• Alex G. Spanos, founder and chairman of A.G. Spanos Companies and the owner of the San Diego Chargers professional football team: $15,000
• Dean A. Spanos, son of Alex G. Spanos and the Chargers’ president and chief executive officer: $20,000
Eventhough it looks bad for the Senate now, I believe the GOP can take back both Houses. The election next year will be event driven, not issue driven.
Individual Republicans will get the funding they need. For those who act like Republicans the money will be there. Shaky GOPers like Coleman will have to hold his hand on his ash.
Well, I think the Republicans are “punishing” the GOP for its various weak positions, but as the prospect of another two years of Pelosi and Reid shape up, people will open their wallets.
Do these figures include the money they had to give back to their crooked buddies and the money stored in FBI evidence lockers?
True, this is the legacy of Mel Martinez.
Absolutely not. You’d think that after that illegal amnesty fiasco, the Republican Party would make a change. But, it looks like both the Party and the President are trying hard for a defeat at the polls.
The GOP will get hammered in the 2008 elections if they do not dump “Illegal Alien” Martinez soon.
As long as IA Martinez is chair...the GOP is in huge trouble. Time for conservatives to take back the party
NRSC chairman is John Ensign. Mel Martinez is seperate from their fundraising.
I don't always have the time to pay as close attention to the political landscape in terms of specific elections....But from what I've seen.....about which seats are up for reelection (in the Senate)....it is very doubtful the GOP can gain even a seat in the Senate. How it plays out....we are defending too many vulnerable seats. The Dems very little (outside of LA).
The GOP (and our base, for various real, but very selfish and short term reasons) blew it in 06. That was a huge loss, plain and simple.
Our Lord may surprise everyone...this time around. ;o) I’m looking from a different perceptive in this election.
In 2006, I got out and voted for Allen and Wolf in Virginia.
The ideological balance in the Senate, with exception of judiciary, has changed very little. Not to down play the judiciary.
I am not always in agreement with the republicans running, but heaven forbid we lose the White House and cannot get a hold of the Senate, we are screwed big time.
I think events between now and election day will at worst leave the balance of power the way it is now. I think the American public, war weary as they are, are grown up to extent that they may disagree with Bush, but they know it is “tough love”. They proved that in 2004. I think the press compares apple and oranges when they compare approval ratings among Nixon, Carter, and GW Bush. I still believe that a Republican Presidential candidate will be the odds on favorite, even if Al Gore gets into the race, which I believe he will (he may even get the nomination).
Rudy will be elected....President...
It's not that people like the Dems---quite the contrary, congressional ratings show they really DON'T like the Dems, but the GOP will not quit shooting at Bush and our funadmantal policies long enough to generate support for the Party.
As of now, Rudy would lose slightly to Hillary; Fred would lose by a slightly larger margin.
AND CNN has the Republicans acting like Democrats on the SCHP issue.
ALSO the Republicans are pushing the ILLEGAL ALIEN DREAM ACT AMNESTY this week.
The GOP leadership thinks acting like democrats is a winning solution.
Republican Elected officials have a terminal case of betway disease.
well then they better do something to distances themselves from the ONGOING AMNESTY EFFORT.
ILLEGAL ALIEN AMNESTY = NO MONEY
This is it in a nutshell to me! We keep shooting at ourselves and not the DEMs. It is foolish and pathetic. I see a sizable segment of the GOP base as having the same mentality of reckless JAGs we now have causing chaos throughout our military (while hampering our efforts in this WOT).
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