Posted on 07/27/2016 12:27:19 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Ted Cruz isn’t just colliding with Donald Trump since the Republican convention. He’s also at odds with some of his own advisers.
At issue: a high-profile primary challenge to Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a Cruz ally and tea party favorite who has long been a thorn in the side of the party establishment. Cruz has rushed to Huelskamp’s aid, providing him with a valuable endorsement just weeks before the Aug. 2 primary. But members of the Texas senator’s political team are working aggressively to defeat the embattled congressman.
Two of the pillars of Cruz’s political operation, the consulting firms Axiom Strategies and Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, have helped steer a super PAC that is spending heavily to defeat Huelskamp, a member of the conservative, Cruz-friendly House Freedom Caucus — even though Jeff Roe, Cruz’s former campaign manager and Axiom’s top strategist, had previously pledged that he and his firm wouldn’t oppose Huelskamp.
It’s an unusual turn of events. When a prominent politician makes an endorsement, their political apparatus typically follows suit. Roe’s role is particularly surprising. In December, Roe, a Kansas City-based strategist who is Cruz’s closest political adviser, wrote a letter to Huelskamp vowing that neither he nor anyone working at Axiom would join any effort to unseat him in 2016. (Two years earlier, Roe had worked for a super PAC that targeted Huelskamp – an unsuccessful effort that left the congressman steaming.)
Yet, Roe’s firm has had a hand in planning the current anti-Huelskamp campaign, working alongside the super PAC ESAFund, according to recent emails obtained by POLITICO.
On July 5, Axiom employee Sean Brown emailed over a dozen strategists involved with ESAFund. The message updated the group on Huelskamp’s radio and TV advertising plans and compared them to planned advertising by his primary opponent, physician Roger Marshall. Brown noted that Marshall was set to outspend Huelskamp in the upcoming week — and that Huelskamp “has no future spending booked.”
Roe is not on the email chain, but two of his top staffers, Nick Schulte and Travis Smith, are. So are Chris Wilson and Ryan Reynolds, who serve as top pollsters at Wilson Perkins Allen.
A Republican strategist named Dan Flynn replied to the group, saying that the media buy information could be used to win over contributors who might be interested in unseating Huelskamp.
“It is the ripest time for any donor who cares about sending a message to [the House Freedom Caucus] by taking out one of their guys to hear ‘Marshall is outspending Huelskamp this week and the outside effort is currently an open path to maybe knocking him off, BUT (big but) we need about twice the resources currently committed,’” Flynn writes.
A little more than a week after the email exchange, ESAFund collected a $100,000 donation, according to its campaign finance reports, and launched its first TV ad attacking Huelskamp — a 30-second spot that hit the incumbent for voting against the farm bill and for getting kicked off his position on the House Agriculture Committee, a key slot for a member whose district encompasses more than half of Kansas. “It’s time for him to go,” the ad says.
The $100,000 donation came from California investor and GOP megadonor William Oberndorf, according to the group’s campaign finance reports. ESAFund also took in $80,000 from two Kansas companies, American Warrior Inc. and Conestoga Energy Partners, on July 1.
Three sources confirmed Axiom’s role in helping the super PAC, with one describing the firm’s work on the anti-Huelskamp campaign as “extensive.” Roe’s firm did not directly produce the ads, the sources said, but it played a role in offering advice and organizing the offensive.
Cruz endorsed Huelskamp in a Facebook post several weeks ago. "During these uncertain times for our nation, it is more important than ever that conservatives stand together," Cruz wrote. "Economic opportunity, our constitutional liberties, and indeed, the very fate of our nation all depend on having elected leaders who are not beholden to the establishment in Washington, but instead who work for We the People. That is exactly why I’m proud to support Tim Huelskamp for re-election in Kansas’s First Congressional District."
The history between Roe and Huelskamp — a conservative who has frequently collided with his party’s leadership — is filled with tension. Last year, Cruz met with conservative House members, including Huelskamp, to ask for their support in the presidential campaign. But during the meeting, which was first reported on by National Review, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar pressed Cruz to explain why Roe, his top political staffer, had worked to unseat Huelskamp in 2014.
Cruz, according to the account, responded by assuring the members that Roe was focused full-time on his presidential bid and wouldn’t be engaging in any effort to unseat the congressman.
A few weeks later, Roe sent Huelskamp a letter saying that neither he nor Axiom would play any role in the congressman’s 2016 primary. He went on to laud Huelskamp “for his “principled, conservative leadership in Washington and strong work on behalf of Kansans in the Big First District.”
Huelskamp went on to endorse Cruz, who handily won Kansas’s March 5 presidential primary.
During a recent interview, the congressman said he was unaware of Axiom’s participation in his primary.
“Oh no, Jeff Roe said last fall he supported me,” Huelskamp said. “I mean, Ted Cruz gave me his word and so did Jeff Roe.”
“It’s in writing, it was in writing it was in all the publications in December,” he added. “Jeff Roe says I’m doing a great job and we’re still continuing to do that.”
ESAFund was also involved in another summer House primary against a House Freedom Caucus endorsee. The HFC endorsed state Sen. Mike Crane for an open, heavily Republican district in Georgia, but ESAFund released a late TV ad attacking him. Crane lost to GOP opponent Drew Ferguson Tuesday night.
Also helping ESAFund in the Kansas race has been Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, the prominent Republican polling firm that spearheaded survey and data efforts during Cruz’s presidential bid, producing research that helped the senator microtarget prospective supporters.
The firm is now replicating those efforts against Huelskamp, conducting what one source described as a "Cruz presidential race-style voter analysis." In late June, Wilson Perkins Allen conducted a poll of the district, which dug into voters’ opinions of the two primary candidates and concluding that Huelskamp was vulnerable to a primary challenge. Then, in early July, it conducted a more detailed analysis of the race.
The polling firm has billed around $90,000 to ESAFund for work on the race, per FEC filings. The polling was overseen by Wilson and Reynolds, the two WPA employees on the email chain.
Roe, Wilson Perkins Allen, and a Cruz spokeswoman all declined to comment. ESAFund’s president, Brian Baker, declined to directly comment on the work the Cruz-aligned firms had done.
"ESAFund engages in election contests to support fiscal conservatives around the country, and in that process we consult with a wide range of political strategists to assist in developing and executing our plans,” Baker wrote in an email.
Interesting. Do you happen to know what the question was that Cotton asked Fredo? I would like to know.
Tom Cotton is as smart as Cruz is cunning. Cruz dared not answer Cotton, because Tom can’t be played by one of Ted’s pony trick answers.
I promise you this, Ted Fredo Cruz is going to be the epitome of FATAL ATTRACTION. Yikes!
Cruz is already tired out, to the “Trojan agenda”, but his dirty associates still need work.
It’s interesting to read what people think in the district that the incumbent is running in...sounds like you people know what you want and should fight hard for it...
Good Luck and hope it all works out...
Cruz wasn’t around to support any conservatives last cycle.
You recall he was doing penance to McConnell as his vice chairman of the NSRC, where he dropped $250,000 into the mitty, declined to endorse a soul due to his high fallutin’
position.
That quarter million must have come in handy for the MISSISSIPPI TREATMENT against Daniels who was leading there.
Haley Barbour and McConnell drug incumbent Thad Cochran across the finish line for McConnel.
I also found this: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/427902/chamber-commerce-targets-tim-huelskamp-2016
The establishment has been targeting Huelskamp for awhile. We need him more than ever to help defeat them in Washington.
CGato
Former Kansas Resident here. How is Marshall doing against Huelskamp? Do you know?
Can’t stand Marshall, used to be my obgyn. Basically only choice in Great Bend at the time (he and his partner). No one could stand him, favorite word amongst people I knew was “arrogant” and boy is he ever. Perfect candidate for the establishment.
Can’t stand Marshall, used to be my obgyn. Basically only choice in Great Bend at the time (he and his partner). No one could stand him, favorite word amongst people I knew was “arrogant” and boy is he ever. Perfect candidate for the establishment.
Thanks for the personal info on Marshall, much appreciated. I was a little miffed at Huelskamp when he got on the Cruz bandwagon but a lot of people were duped by him. I talked to some of Huelskamp's people and while they didn't admit it, I got the feeling they eventually regretted it too.
Yeah, Marshall has that hit and run where he tried to run over someone and eventually got busted for it and convicted. That was the first thing that made me think twice about him. What you said backs up what type of personality he has.
The last poll I read was that they are running neck and neck. The establishment is pouring in a ton of money trying to defeat Huelskamp. I hope my fellow Kansans don't get duped by the establishment again like they did with Cruz (Cruz won our caucuses).
Huelskamp stood up to Boehner and the establishment, that took a lot of guts. Huelskamp is the true anti-establishment conservative in this race and I hope my fellow Kansans understand that.
CGato
Auto-correct fail.
“Cruz has already been *hired* out..”
Like I said.Why give him the air time? He’s a waste of it. And from your wording you seem not to be willing to give him the time of day either, let alone a vote, also.
red
I cannot believe the amount of money being spent on a single house heat in rural Kansas. I get junk mail from both of them practically every day, and often see 3 or 4 commercials in a row, alternating between the two candidates. Where is all this damn money coming from?
That's no lie. I guess Tim really pissed off the establishment when Boehner was forced to step down, as he tweeted "today the establishment lost" Both sides are throwing a lot of money in this race.
CGato
Yes, of all the potential campaign managers throughout the country, how is that Cruz ends up going with this guy, Roe?
Cruz is good at avoiding/having to answer “uncomfortable/unpleasant” questions. During the SC primary in the upstate area, he would not go on the local talk radio shows because he knew he would get hammered for his vote on TPA/TPP...that and other “uncomfortable” topics. He sent out surrogates a couple of times, then after awhile, the radio hosts said “no more with the surrogates” and wanted the candidate himself. You’ve got to wonder why he was always a no-show. If there was one county/region he should have won, it was here in the Upstate area, yet, he lost to Trump.
Cruz is spoiled and used to absolutely no vetting. He has the dependable habit of getting out in front of his own story to pre-spin it. He’s good at that.
Then 30 minutes later, you realize he didn’t say anything declarative. There was no affirmative “yes” in there, or a “no”. You find out you fell for a linguistic pony trick.
He is one of the finest *deflectors* in the business. Everything sketchy gets put off on an agency, so he can deflect from making a definitive stand.
On the good stuff, as with illegal invasion, Fredo tried to ride the back of straight-as-an-arrow, Jeff Sessions, always name dropping what Sessions did, trying to parrot Jeff and claim Jeff’s work as his own.
Classy Sessions had to be so repulsed by this snake, Cruz.
You said it.
Cruz rode on Jeff Sessions back in the Senate, claiming his straight forward work for his own. Jeff must have become so repulsed by this climber.
Fredo can not give a straight answer on a controversial issue, because he has to get elected by the stupid people among the conservative base, but he is owned by the globalist agenda. Hell of deal.
I can't help but believe that Ted and Heidi Cruz are no different than Bill and Hillary Clinton in terms of their own political ambition, albeit from the opposite side of the political spectrum. They are in for themselves, their own personal ambition, and I for one, have no stomach for them.
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