Strategists for the fundraising
arms of Republican conservatives and
centrists in Congress have adopted
starkly different models for raising
money and backing candidates,
according to interviews and
disclosure reports. Rep. Tom Feeney,
R-Fla., who heads the House
Conservatives Fund, said his PAC,
which supports Republican Study
Committee members, has poured money
into direct mail fundraising during
the first half of the year. He said
direct mail, which usually has large
startup costs, has attracted new
donors. "You expect to lose money.
You expect to lose 10 to 30 percent
up front," Feeney said. "We have
made money on every prospecting
[mail] piece." Feeney pointed to
$312,000 the PAC raised between
January and June. The PAC had
$93,000 on hand as of June 30, in
addition to $51,000 in debts for
direct mail costs. The PAC's most
recent report shows that 58 percent
of donations came from individuals
while the rest came from PACs and
other committees. Although the PAC
has endorsed candidates, Feeney said
he wants to see which candidates
emerge in races before writing
donation checks.
The PAC associated with the
centrist Republican Main Street
Partnership has raised less money
that its conservative counterpart,
according to its last report, but it
has larger cash reserves and has
distributed $70,000 to candidates.
As of June 30, the PAC had $103,000
on hand and negligible debt, after
raising $231,000 in the first half
of the year. That tally is more than
the $200,000 the PAC raised during
2005, the comparable off year of the
last election cycle. "We're ahead of
the pace of where we were in raising
money," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.,
a spokesman for the centrists. The
PAC's report showed that it raised
more than 90 percent of its
donations from other PACs or
committees. Republican centrists
have sent contributions to Sens.
Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John
Sununu, R-N.H., who are Democratic
targets, as well as to former Rep.
Jeb Bradley, R-N.H, who is running
for his old seat.
Republican centrists have also
donated to Kansas state Treasurer
Lynn Jenkins, who hopes to face Rep.
Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., next fall.
That puts the PAC at odds with
the House Conservatives Fund, which
has endorsed former Rep. Jim Ryun,
who is seeking the GOP nomination
for a rematch against Boyda.
However, open primaries may be the
only races in which the groups will
clash; the groups have agreed not to
target GOP incumbents. Those
policies may avoid much of the
conflict GOP centrists have had with
the free-market Club for Growth,
which has targeted incumbent
members. During the 2008 cycle, the
Club for Growth and its affiliates
have run ads against Jenkins and
bundled contributions for Sununu and
former Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo.,
who is running for Senate.
Upton said he saw no irony that
centrists and the Club are
supporting Sununu, noting his group
was founded on a platform of sound
fiscal policy. "No, John's a very
able guy," he said. "It was a 5-0
vote to support John."
-- by Mark Wegner
