Parties Plot Final Strategy
Roll Call Staff
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While stem-cell research and issues of racial politics have garnered high-profile media attention in key House and Senate races over the past week, the Iraq War remains the overarching issue that Democrats believe gives them the advantage.
“Iraq is certainly the issue that is dominating these campaigns in all parts of the country,” Singer said. “It’s pretty much hardened in the public’s mind that this Republican Congress is in lockstep with the president come hell or high water.”
In the House, last week the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee began new, previously unscheduled, ad buys in conservative districts held by Reps. Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) and Ron Lewis (R-Ky.). Republicans are expected to be on the air in both districts by today.
The DCCC reported spending $339,000 Thursday against Ryun, after polls showed the contest with Nancy Boyda (D) to be closer than expected. President Bush won the district by 20 points in 2004.
In New Hampshire’s 2nd district, another third-tier contest that has only recently looked competitive, both the NRCC and DCCC went on the air at the same time last week.
“They’re throwing money now at a couple of long shots and hoping they get lucky,” said NRCC spokesman Carl Forti.
DCCC spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg said that was wishful thinking on the part of the GOP, arguing it is hard to deny evidence to the contrary and that the number of pickup opportunities for Democrats has expanded as Election Day nears.
“The fact is there are more districts in play today than anyone thought possible a year ago,” she said.
Republicans have been forced to spend money to hold open seats in staunchly Republican territories in Colorado, Idaho and, to a lesser extent, Nevada.
They also have invested heavily to help save once-safe incumbents in California and Colorado, and went up on TV last week to help boost Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), whose re-election bid had struggled even before a recent highly publicized campaign gaffe.
Still, the NRCC is continuing to pour significant resources into two open seats that have appeared to be very difficult holds due to extenuating circumstances: ex-Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R) 22nd district in Texas and Florida’s 16th district seat of former Rep. Mark Foley (R).
A poll out Monday in the Texas race showed the race essentially tied — but Republicans’ hope still rests on voters writing in the name of Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (R).
“We’ve always believed in these Republican seats,” Forti said. “We’re in a position to win both those seats.”
Republicans have invested more than $1 million to try to knock off Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) and more than $2 million to defeat Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), but those sums pale in comparison to the amount they have had to spend defending vulnerable incumbents this cycle.
“They don’t have the money to be playing every race where they’d like to,” Feinberg said.
The DCCC spent close to $25.8 million from Oct. 1-18 and had $17 million on hand at that point. The NRCC spent $27.4 million in the same period and had $18.3 million on hand.
GOP pollster Whit Ayers, like most Republicans acknowledged the difficult climate his party faces in one week. But referring to the Republicans’ vaunted get-out-the vote efforts, he warned against writing off the party’s chances for holding control of Congress.
“There’s a certain amount of guesswork in determining turnout,” he said. “We can make various plausible assumptions. In the final analysis no one really knows for sure who’s going to vote and who’s not.”
Schumer Advocates for Many on Panel
Nov. 16, 12 a.m.
As Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson once said of the Joint Economic Committee, “It’s as useless as tits on a bull.” But as that panel’s chairman during the 110th Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized the opportunity to elevate the traditionally low-profile post to the forefront of shaping policy. Read Full Article
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