Posted on 07/20/2006 4:06:21 PM PDT by neverdem
As many as 24 Democratic-allied outside interest groups have launched attacks or waged other political activity in 82 congressional districts represented by House Republicans, according to data compiled the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
The breadth of this mobilization against House Republican candidates appears to surpass by far any similar effort being waged against Democratic House candidates or Senate candidates.
The data show how much Democrats are benefiting from the work of outside allies and how energized labor, environmental and liberal advocacy groups are about the prospect of taking back the House.
The research also reveals why many House Republicans may be unhappy about voting on lobbying reform legislation that does not include restrictions on the soft-money groups known as 527s. The groups, named after the section of the tax code that governs them, can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political races.
The activity of liberal-leaning outside groups is concentrated in several states. Groups are active in eight districts in New York, nine in Ohio and nine in Pennsylvania. Left-leaning groups have also been active in four Florida districts and four New Jersey districts.
Second-term Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), who is facing a tough race, said his constituents have been barraged with phone calls attacking him but wasn’t sure what the political impact would be. He said groups have also taken out some newspaper ads.
“We haven’t taken a poll, but we’ll find out,” he said.
Mark Campbell, an aide to Gerlach’s campaign, shared a list of liberal groups that have intervened in the race so far: MoveOn.org, Working Families Win, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), ACORN, American Family Voices, the American Election Committee, Campaign for a Cleaner Congress and Voices for Working Families.
AFSCME bought about $50,000 worth of cable television ads, Working Families Win organized a protest on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in front of Gerlach’s district office and American Family Voices organized calls criticizing the lawmaker, Campbell said.
But the activities certainly appear to be affecting other races. MoveOn.org has spent $170,000 on Rep. Chris Chocola (R-Ind.), according to a Democratic strategist. Meanwhile, Chocola has dropped from six percentage points ahead of his Democratic opponent, Joe Donnelly, to 10 points behind, according to a poll by Democratic pollster Alan Secrest.
A spokesman for House GOP Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce’s reelection campaign said, Americans United, Working America, American Family Voices, Campaign for a Cleaner Congress and the Campaign for America’s Future have been active in the congresswoman’s Ohio district.
In New York’s 20th District, the American Civil Liberties Union ran a series of radio advertisements that portrayed Rep. John Sweeney (R) in a poor light, linking him to the delay in passage of the Voting Rights Act in the House. Citizen Action has sought to draw local attention to the lobbying scandals in Washington, and the Sierra Club, the Service Employees International Union and MoveOn.org have also been active, according to Sweeney campaign spokeswoman Maureen Donovan.
Republican political strategists say they hope GOP lawmakers will help protect their politically vulnerable colleagues from outside groups by raising more money for them.
“We’re relying heavily on member money to help close the spending gap that exists as a result of all the special-interest Democrat 527s, and we expect the conference will come through even more so this year than it has in past cycles,” said NRCC spokesman Ed Patru.
A spokesman for the Senate Republican fundraising committee reported less activity by outside groups in Senate races.
“It’s been very quiet thus far in terms of 527s,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Nick, who cautioned that he expects groups to become more active as Election Day nears.
Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said he has seen very little activity by conservative or Republican-allied groups in races around the country.
Of the nearly 25 groups that the NRCC says are attacking its candidates, most do not appear to be 527 groups, according to a search of 527s’ fundraising records made public by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Only the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, American Family Voices, Campaign Money Watch, MoveOn.org, the Sierra Club and Voices for Working Families filed political-activity reports with the IRS for the period between April 1 and June 30.
Republicans have tended to lump politically active groups under the category of 527s, a designation that has become somewhat pejorative. Many Republicans, including President Bush, and liberal good-government groups have criticized 527s for exploiting a loophole in campaign-finance law. GOP leaders have weighed whether to implement strict regulations for these groups but are said to have backed away from inserting them in the pending lobbying-reform bill.
Ironically, one of the main targets of liberal groups is Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), one of the House authors of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that empowered outside groups by strengthening fundraising restrictions on the national parties.
He has been the target of multiple attacks in his district and is a prime target of the DCCC. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who chairs the DCCC, has highlighted Shays’s support for the Iraq war and for not holding more oversight hearings on the Pentagon’s policies on the war.
A spokesman for Shays said that a new Democratic-allied group organized under section 501(c)4 of the tax code has started up activity in the district. Shays has also been the target of negative automated calls to voters.
Tyler Kirtley contributed to this report.
Republican districts where Democratic-allied groups are active
District GOP representative Ala.-3 Mike Rogers Ariz.-1 Rick Renzi Ariz.-5 J.D. Hayworth Ariz.-8 Jim Kolbe* Calif.-4 John Doolittle Calif.-11 Richard Pombo Calif.-52 Duncan Hunter Colo.-4 Marilyn Musgrave Colo.-7 Bob Beauprez* Conn.-2 Rob Simmons Conn.-4 Christopher Shays Conn.-5 Nancy Johnson Del. Mike Castle Fla.-5 Ginny Brown-Waite Fla.-8 Ric Keller Fla.-16 Mark Foley Fla.-22 Clay Shaw Ga.-1 Jack Kingston Ga.-11 Phil Gingrey Ill.-11 Jerry Weller Ind.-2 Chris Chocola Ind.-8 John Hostettler Ind.-9 Mike Sodrel Iowa-1 Jim Nussle* Iowa-2 Jim Leach Ky.-1 Ed Whitfield Ky.-4 Geoff Davis Ky.-5 Hal Rogers La.-4 Jim McCrery La.-7 Charles Boustany Mich.-7 Joe Schwarz Mich.-8 Mike Rogers Minn.-2 John Kline Minn.-3 Jim Ramstad Mo.-6 Sam Graves Mo.-7 Roy Blunt Mo.-8 Jo Ann Emerson Neb.-1 Jeff Fortenberry Nev.-2 James Gibbons N.H.-1 Jeb Bradley N.H.-2 Charlie Bass N.J.-2 Frank LoBiondo N.J.-3 Jim Saxton N.J.-7 Mike Ferguson N.J.-11 Rodney Frelinghuysen N.M.-1 Heather Wilson N.M.-2 Steve Pearce N.Y.-3 Peter King N.Y.-13 Vito Fossella N.Y.-19 Sue Kelly N.Y.-20 John Sweeney N.Y.-24 Sherwood Boehlert* N.Y.-25 James Walsh N.Y.-26 Tom Reynolds N.Y.-29 Randy Kuhl N.C.-8 Robin Hayes N.C.-11 Charles Taylor Ohio-1 Steve Chabot Ohio-2 Jean Schmidt Ohio-3 Michael Turner Ohio-4 Michael Oxley* Ohio-7 David Hobson Ohio-12 Patrick Tiberi Ohio-14 Steven LaTourette Ohio-15 Deborah Pryce Ohio-18 Bob Ney Pa.-3 Phil English Pa.-4 Melissa Hart Pa.-5 John Peterson Pa.-6 Jim Gerlach Pa.-7 Curt Weldon Pa.-8 Mike Fitzpatrick Pa.-9 Bill Shuster Pa.-10 Don Sherwood Pa.-15 Charlie Dent Texas-22 Tom DeLay* Va.-2 Thelma Drake Wash.-4 Doc Hastings Wash.-5 Cathy McMorris Wash.-8 Dave Reichert W.Va.-2 Shelley Moore Capito Source: NRCC *Retiring or running for other office
In dealing with political reality, I can say that Nancy Pelosi will be easily reelected in her San Francisco District. Does that mean I support Pelosi, or am campaigning for her? Not in the least.
It only means that I have friends (all of them conservatives) in San Francisco. From them, and from my own knowledge of the politics of San Francisco, the fact on the ground is that Pelosi will be reelected.
If your point is that people who post on FR should hide their views on politics if the facts look bad for conservatives and Republicans in a given race? That way lies madness. It is essential that all of us tell the truth on these boards as best we know and understand it.
If you want me to do other than that, I refuse. If you want to cast that, that I am supporting Democrats and liberals, you are both wrong and off base.
Sometimes, political success must begin with an honest recognition of how bad the situation is, going in. A false belief in good outcomes for conservatives and Republicans can lead to losses, that could have been avoided with an honest appraisal going in. Is that so hard to understand?
John / Billybob
I've been getting similar calls re Marilyn Musgrave. I've even received a mailer claiming that she supports groups that perform forced abortions. Just sickening.
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