Capitol View: November 23, 2011 Archive

Bachmann super PACs absent from ad race

Posted at 2:00 PM on November 23, 2011 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Michele Bachmann

It's less than two months before before the official start to the primary season, and the countdown can be measured in super PAC ad buys. As the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses creep closer, the buys get bigger and more prolific.

But absent from the ads flooding the airwaves are spots from two super PACs that earlier in the campaign aligned with Rep. Michele Bachmann.

"This is really kind of a pivotal month as voters are just starting to tune in and make their final decisions about who they want to go with," said Jason Miller, a spokesman for Make Us Great Again, a political action committee that is backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Super PACs are money-raising powerhouses. They can collect and spend unlimited amounts of cash in favor of a specific candidate, so long as they don't coordinate advertising efforts with the candidate's campaign.

They provide another way for very wealthy donors to support their favorite politicos. Contributors who hit donation limits for a candidate's committee can write massive checks for an unaffiliated super PAC. So, in most cases, a super PAC's earning power reflects a candidate's earning power.

The dollar figures for the latest round of ad buys are substantial.

Our Destiny PAC, which has aligned with Jon Huntsman, recently dropped $1.45 million to air this television spot in New Hampshire. (There's widespread speculation that the ad buy is, in part, supported by Huntsman's father.)

Since Oct. 31, Make Us Great Again has spent $775,000 on television and radio spots in Iowa and South Carolina. And a super PAC supporting Herman Cain ran this ad in Iowa.

Meanwhile, super PACs supporting President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have been touting web ads. A spokeswoman for the Mitt Romney-affiliated Restore Our Future PAC said that it hasn't done any advertising yet, but to "stay tuned."

Noticeably absent from the television and web ad mix are two super PACs that pledged support to Bachmann - Keep Conservatives United and Citizens for a Working America.

Keep Conservatives United hasn't launched ads since September, when the group posted a series of spots on its website attacking Perry. Then, the Texas governor appeared to be Bachmann's biggest rival. Since then he has fallen in the polls.

Bob Harris, who leads the operation, says that fundraising has been "OK," and that he's hoping to launch ads in Iowa - a state that Bachmann has made a priority - closer to the caucuses.

If they can, the ads will highlight the message that Bachmann is " the last conservative in the race," Harris said - a message Bachmann has been touting herself.

For its part, Citizens for a Working America remains a bit of a mystery, and calls to members of the group were not returned.

The group, which played an important role in defeating long-time South Carolina Democratic Rep. John Spratt in the 2010 election, includes Bachmann adviser Ed Brookover as one of its organizers.

But so far the PAC has done no advertising for Bachmann in Iowa, South Carolina or New Hampshire. It has no website, and its chair, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, has endorsed Perry.

And because Federal Election Commission fundraising deadlines aren't until January, it's unclear if the group is - or ever did -fundraising in support of Bachmann.

Fischbach, Zellers appointed to GOPAC advisory board

Posted at 7:45 AM on November 23, 2011 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, MN Legislature

Senate President Michelle Fischbach and House Speaker Kurt Zellers are among 21 new members of GOPAC's 2012 Legislative Leaders Advisory Board.

The group will "work to help promote Americans' need for lower taxes, fiscal discipline and job growth," said GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli. "Each Board Member was selected because of their strong leadership in promoting conservative ideas and assisting Republican candidates with getting elected. Their involvement will enable us to achieve even greater success in 2012."

Among Zellers and Fischbach's responsibilities will be addressing elected officials, candidates and GOPAC supporters, according to a press release from the group.

The appointment is a one-year gig.

GOPAC is basically a boot camp for up-and-coming Republican leaders. It teaches lower level officials conservative essentials, and provides continuing education and training to members of the party.

It's also a source of campaign cash for select candidates. In 2008, GOPAC America, the group's political action committee, donated $5,000 to Sen. Norm Coleman and $2,500 to Rep. Erik Paulsen's campaigns, among others. More recently, GOPAC has become involved in the recall efforts in Wisconsin, according to Politico.