House '10

DCCC Beating NRCC In Money Game

Eric Kleefeld | November 20, 2009, 3:00PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Republicans may have high hopes for picking up House seats in 2010. But for now, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is easily outpacing the National Republican Congressional Committee in fundraising and cash on hand, for the filing period that ended October 31.

The DCCC raised $3.76 million, spent $3.98 million, and has $14.25 million cash on hand, with $3.3 million in debts.

The NRCC raised $3.44 million, spent $3.59 million, and has $4.17 million on hand, with $2 million in debts.

Subtracting each group's debt from its cash on hand, the DCCC has an effective net worth of $10.95 million, to only $2.17 million for the NRCC.

Both parties spent more than they took in for October, due to the NY-23 special election -- in which the Democrats picked up a Republican-held seat, and activists conservatives forced the moderate Republican nominee out of the race, in favor of a conservative third-party candidate.

Health Care

GOP Sees 2010 Window, Gloat That Dems Who Opposed Health Care Will Take Dual Heat

Christina Bellantoni | November 11, 2009, 5:38PM

(Top, L-R), Rep. Boucher (D-VA), Rep. Shuler (D-NC), Rep. Ross (D-AR). (Bottom, L-R), Rep. Altmire (D-PA), Rep. Nye (D-VA), Rep. Tanner (D-TN)

Much like Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Sen. Ben Nelson, looks like the 39 Democrats voting against the House health care bill Saturday are getting squeezed from both sides.

We've been writing about all the left-leaning campaigns going after Democrats on health care, and plenty of efforts to hit Republicans as party of "no."

TPMDC has been chatting with Republicans who want to pick off vulnerable House Democrats in 2010 and they (not surprisingly) are pleased as punch by the internal warfare.

Read more »

Pete Sessions

Tea Party Activist Challenging NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions In GOP Primary

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 3:23PM

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), the chairman of the NRCC, may have another problem on his hands in addition to the House GOP's recent woes in the NY-23 race: A primary challenge from a conservative activist back home.

David Smith, a corporate financial analyst, has declared his candidacy against Sessions in the Republican primary, citing the budget deficit, federal spending, and Sessions' votes for the Wall Street bailout as his main issues.

In an interview with TPM, Smith said that he has participated in Tea Parties as an activist, though he has not been an organizer, and explained that those events are motivated by the same issues of spending in Washington that he's long been concerned about. "And that begun under Republican control of the House and Senate and Republican control of the White House," said Smith. "I know it didn't boil over into marches in the streets and to the White House until a Democrat got elected, but that happened because Republicans weren't doing what people wanted, and Pete was a part of that."

Read more »

NY-23

RNC Backs Hoffman In NY-23 Shakeup

Christina Bellantoni | October 31, 2009, 1:35PM

NY-23 Candidates Doug Hoffman (Conservative) and Bill Owens (D)

The Republican National Committee announced it will immediately back Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman following GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava's campaign suspension in the special election in New York's 23rd Congressional district.

Here is Chairman Mike Steele's statement.

Read more »

NY-23

NRCC Officially Endorses Conservative Party's Hoffman In NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | October 31, 2009, 11:42AM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

A GOP source tells TPM that the National Republican Congressional Committee is going to get behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 special election, now that moderate Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava has dropped out.

Hoffman is in a close race with Democrat Bill Owens, and Scozzafava suspended her campaign today after polls showed her in third place. With the NRCC's backing, Hoffman will go from insurgent third-party candidate to being the de facto new Republican nominee (though Scozzafava will still be on the ballot as the GOP's candidate).

NRCC chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) will have a statement out shortly.

Late Update: The NRCC has released a joint statement -- co-signed by Sessions, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) -- backing Hoffman. It is available after the jump.

Read more »

NRCC

GOP: Pelosi Driving Dem House Members Off A Cliff

Eric Kleefeld | October 29, 2009, 11:27AM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

NRCC communications director Ken Spain released this statement on the House Democrats' unveiling of their health care bill, making it clear that the GOP will try to keep on using this issue as a cudgel against Democrats in swing districts:

"The lasting image coming out of today's press conference is one of dozens of House Democrats standing proudly behind an incredibly unpopular Nancy Pelosi as she prepares to lead them off a political cliff. Not only will the Democrats' government takeover of healthcare lead to increased costs, higher taxes, and cuts to Medicare, it also feeds into the emerging narrative that Nancy Pelosi and her puppets are more interested in creating government even if it comes at the expense of creating jobs."

NY-23

GOP Reps. Cole And Rohrabacher Back Conservative Party's Hoffman In NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2009, 3:56PM

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Tom Cole (R-CA)

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 special election, has picked up two more endorsements from sitting House Republicans, Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Dana Rohrabacher of California, who are joining in the right-wing revolt against the nomination of moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava.

Cole's endorsement is big news, because he is in fact a former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee -- the party organization dedicated to electing Republicans to the House. He was NRCC chair during the disastrous 2008 cycle, and is now going against the party's candidate in a seat that the GOP could potentially lose as a result of the Republican split.

"Doug Hoffman is right on the critical issues facing America -- and he is the only Republican who can win this special election," said Cole, whose endorsement was initially reported by Bill Kristol. "For those reasons I have chosen to endorse Mr. Hoffman and my leadership PAC has contributed to his campaign. I look forward to working with Doug in Congress and welcoming him into the Republican Conference."

Read more »

Alan Grayson

Grayson Calls Lobbyist 'K Street Whore'

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2009, 9:49AM

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) -- the man best known for saying that the Republican health care plan is for Americans who get to "die quickly," and for calling former Vice President Dick Cheney a vampire with blood dripping from his teeth -- may have gone a bit too far in one of his latest rhetorical excesses, calling lobbyist Linda Robertson, who used to advise Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a "K Street whore."

The comments were made a month ago, when Grayson appeared on the radio show of right-wing talker Alex Jones, and was just discovered and circulated by the NRCC. "Here I am, the only Member of Congress who actually worked as an economist. And she's, this lobbyist, this K Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics," said Grayson.

Grayson spokesman Todd Jurkowski stood by the Congressman's comments, telling the Orlando Sentinel in an e-mail: "She attacked the Congressman and his efforts to promote a Republican bill to audit the Federal Reserve. She actually questioned his understanding of the difference between fiscal and monetary policy. This is [a] person who used to be the chief lobbyist for Enron attacking the intelligence and motives of a Congressman who used to be an economist."

Read more »

NRCC

NRCC In Hot Water Over Pelosi Criticism...Again

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 13, 2009, 1:40PM

From the NRCC's twitter feed (via DCCC)

The NRCC drew fire for an attack on Nancy Pelosi Democrats say goes too far for the second time in a week today. On Oct. 6, Democrats were upset when the GOP group called on Gen. Stanley McChrystal to put Pelosi "in her place." Today, it was the NRCC's seeming comparison of Pelosi to Adolf Hitler that had Democrats up in arms.

"The NRCC's despicable promotion of a video comparing Speaker Pelosi's effort to reform health insurance in America to Adolf Hitler's extermination of millions is a shocking new low that must be condemned," DCCC spokesperson Jennifer Crider said.

Read more »

NY-23

A Conservative House GOP Revolt On NY-23?

Eric Kleefeld | October 8, 2009, 5:28PM

NY-23 candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Bill Owens (D)

The American Spectator reports that the House GOP could be seeing a minor revolt among its members over the NY-23 special election, in which the local Republican Party nominated a candidate who is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage.

State Rep. Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate, is in a three-way race with Democratic attorney Bill Owens and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. The third-party candidate Hoffman has received the endorsements of the Club For Growth, Gary Bauer and former Sen. Fred Thompson. And it appears that some House GOPers would rather be helping him than the socially liberal Scozzafava:

[NRCC Chair Pete] Sessions was called out by conservative members of the caucus, and challenged when asked why NRCC resources -- cash and personnel -- were being used for Scozzafava. "We have a conservative running in this race, and the Republican Party is not with him," says a conservative House member who attended the meeting. "There are a number of us who are profoundly embarrassed by this race, and while we don't blame Pete, we do blame the NRCC staff for apparently not doing its job."

NRCC

NRCC Shifting From Defense To Offense -- What's Left To Defend?

Eric Kleefeld | October 7, 2009, 5:29PM

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)

In a sign that the House Republicans have nowhere to go but up, Roll Call reports that the NRCC is limiting its next "Patriot Day" program -- a fundraising event to benefit selected incumbents -- to only five House GOPers, down from a previously-planned ten.

The five members are: Mary Bono Mack (CA), Charlie Dent (PA), Patrick Tiberi (OH), Lee Terry (NE) and Tom Rooney (FL). "The political environment has shifted, and there just aren't five more vulnerable Members who are really in need of assistance or facing a credible challenge," an NRCC aide told the paper. "That money would be better spent by directly transferring money to the committee and on assisting the large number of challenger candidates looking to oust a Democrat incumbent."

Late Update: An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI). It has been corrected.

Read more »

Alan Grayson

GOP Looking To Take On Grayson -- Even Without A Candidate Yet

Eric Kleefeld | October 1, 2009, 2:02PM

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Republicans fully intend to mobilize against Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), the freshman Congressman who accused Republicans of wanting sick people to "die quickly," then apologized to the dead of the "holocaust" that is the health care crisis, and called the GOP "foot-dragging, knuckle-dragging neanderthals."

However, the GOP doesn't actually have a candidate yet -- but they're getting ready for it. The NRCC has set up a fund to contribute to the yet-to-be-determined GOP nominee, and have set up a new anti-Grayson site, AlanDisgrayson, to rile up their base.

Grayson was just elected in 2008, defeating incumbent GOP Rep. Ric Keller in a district that had previously been voting Republican. The district voted twice for George W. Bush, by 53%-45% in 2000 and 55%-44% in 2004, but then swung in 2008, voting for Barack Obama by 52%-47%. Grayson, who self-financed with over $2.6 million, won by an almost-identical 52%-48%.

The Republicans think they can win this district back. "We've always viewed Grayson as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country, probably top five," a national Republican source told us. "Nationally that is starting to become, now everyone realizes why."

Read more »