American Crossroads boasts $13 million haul for week, starts spending on House races
New York (CNN) - American Crossroads, the Republican group backed by GOP consultants Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, will launch its first television ads supporting GOP House candidates this week, as officials there boast about a fundraising surge in the wake of White House attacks on the organization.
A spokesman for American Crossroads, Jonathan Collegio, says the group, along with its affiliate American Crossroads GPS, will begin airing television ads in eight House districts on Friday, and plans to go into 15 House races by Election Day. So far, the group's focus has been on Senate races.
Separately, Collegio says American Crossroads and American Crossroads GPS have raised $13 million dollars since last Tuesday, when the Obama Administration stepped up its criticism of the organization for its big spending against Democrats without disclosing donors.
"Obama and the Democrats are shining the spotlight on us and a lot of Democrats are going to have to address their thank you notes to the White House and DNC when they lose this November," said Collegio.
Collegio says the new influx of cash brings the total money raised to $56 million so far for both arms of the group. This comes on the same day that Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois becomes the latest Democrat to call for an investigation into the groups' tax status.
American Crossroads plans to spend $2 million dollars on its initial advertisements in House races, which will focus mostly on striking behind what Collegio calls the Democrats "firewall" – competitive seats, but ones Democrats see as safer than others. American Crossroads sources admit they are also hoping to force Democrats to spend money on races where they would not otherwise have invested.
For example, American Crossroads will air ads against Democrat Joe Donnelly in Indiana and Zach Space in Ohio. Democratic party officials have said they are more confident about those candidates, but officials at American Crossroads say their internal polling shows they are beatable.
The group will also air an ad against New York Democrat Maurice Hinchey in his district, which had been considered relatively safe. The American Crossroads source says internal data shows Hinchey is vulnerable, so the group is investing there since the Republican party is not.
In fact, although the group is not legally permitted to coordinate with campaigns or the Republican party, American Crossroads officials say they are closely monitoring where the National Republican Campaign Committee is spending its resources, so that they can help elsewhere.
Another example of that is in Hawaii. Republican Charles Djou won a special election earlier this year in what had been a long time Democratic seat. The NRCC is not investing in Djou's race, so American Crossroads made it one of the eight races where it will air ads starting Friday.
"That is traditionally a Democratic seat, and holding that is just as important as picking up another," said an American Crossroads official.
Other House races where the group will launch ads: races against New York Democrats Dan Maffei and Scott Murphy and Florida's Alan Grayson. It will also air an ad to help Republican Dan Lungren's re-election campaign in California.
American Crossroads is coordinating with other GOP groups also running ads in House races, including American Action Network, and the Commission on Hope, Growth and Opportunity.
The Commission on Hope, Growth and Opportunity was started by veteran Republican strategist Scott Reed.
An official there says the group is already airing ads in 15 House districts, and plans to invest in 27 House races by Election Day, with the goal of raising and spending $25 million.
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It is sad that the President makes misleading statements agains the Chamber. The chamber does support both Democrats and Republicans. He says they won't make public the donors well is he acusing the Chamber of breaking the law? If so, he may end up being sued for slander.
I would also like to know how come the Obama administration wasn't so quick to let Americans know who donated to the 2008 Presidential campaign. How do we know that many of the donors were not foreign. So if I were the Republicans I would throw this issue right back at the President.
This is wrong for either party to do but this is what the American public has become. Uninformed and lazy. This would not be a problem if our citizens did their homework and voted for the candidate that best exemplifies what he/she is looking for in a public servant. Instead we are worried about ads that distort the truth and we vote based on the name in the ad we rememeber when we get in the voting booth. Sad state if affairs which allows hate mongers some of whom post on these sites to make outlandish and mindless statements. Do your job and learn about the candidates and you won't have to worry about how much people spends on adds.
The extreme right is happy with these groups, but one day the group will bite their dirty @$$
Rove is pure evil. I suspect he would be willing to do what Hitler did, if he thought he could get away with it and if he thought it would increase his party's power base.
Not all republicans are evil (most are not), but Rove is. And any organization he works for can't be honest or decent - otherwise he would move on to a different one.
It's interesting to read the right wing comments here. They act like they enjoy being manipulated by foreigners, when they are rich and powerful and their money is buying our elections, but they demonstrably hate foreigners when they are poor folks looking for a better life. And they apparently desire to go back to the days of Bush that got us into the economic mess in which we now suffocate. They want even less taxes on their masters than now, even though taxes are at an all-time low, and they don't mind that it is them and their children who will have to pay for those tax cuts. It is beyond belief.
Great news. Wake up America and start donating so we can get rid of Obozo in 2012 and a large number of the socialists in 20 more days. These clowns are driving this country into the grounds. If these jokers were in office 10 years from now the libtards would still be blaming Bush. 20 more days until the socialist regime is put to bed.
Just one more example of Republicans believing they can BUY elections and American votes through a campaign of misinformation. I want to see Rove up there debating the issue he thinks are so just. He's playing the puppet master here and has for a long time. Let make him face the public in a real debate to see how he holds up.
America elections are for sale! failure of "Campaign Finance law" and the " Disclourse Act". Now see why America is falling behind when you have secret monies to kill a bill, law and to buy congress to prevent the country moving forward. It' like having a friend smile in your face and then stab you in your back, without every knowing. Who can you trust? The only thing is for certain is we vote in high number to let them know our country is not for sale.
Sure is easy to raise a boatload of cash when it's anonymous and you don't care who it came from. Congratulations on selling your soul to the Devil.
I smell a rat!
I forgot to add the pages and pages of trustee sales at the front of the classified section ( oh my, that's already happening too). Open the paper and look for yourself when most of those homes were purchased those people had jobs and could afford homes with a mortgage. The propaganda about poor people buying houses was just that, do any of you honestly believe that millions of Americans bought homes on jobs that paid a little over minimum wage, have you ever been inside of a bank and talked to a loan officer in your life? And if the Loan companies and banks were scamming people into buying homes they couild not afford how was that occuring without banking regulations that were put in place after all the Savings and Loans fiasco. It must be true because some good looking foxy woman or some man paid millions to be on TV told me it was true.
Given the choice of helping a fellow American or turning my head while their children starve I will help them, unfortuately I seem to be in the minority as most others would prefer to look down on them in between their weekly ritual of attending a Church. My apologies for anyone who attends a church and actually understands that the word compassion does not mean giving someone a low paying job while the owner does not pay anything resembling a fair tax ( Warren Buffet makes Billions , with a "B", and pays less federal taxes than his personal assistant who makes 50,000 for those of you who actually think Republicans are looking out for 98% of the other Americans paying the bill so Isreal can get your tax dollars to the tune of a 4 to 6 Billion gift every year, but don't worry its not wasted they buy weapons with it) then complaining about governmtnt handouts to people who don't have a pot to p*ss in. Corporate welfare is what Republicans promise and by God with the Help of the Democrats who have also sold their souls they will deliver it starting this November! Don't you just love it when American history repeats itself!
I'll stop now because I get tired of actually trying to teach those of you who are utterly unable to find the truth out there .
I'll end with this comment: 8 years ago I asked a fellow Engineer if the majority of American manufacturers moved all of their factorys out of the country and laid off millions of employees, who would be left with jobs and money to buy those supposedly cheaper products? Apparently amoung the thousands of CEO's and what should have been the best and the brightest running our capitalist business models there were none amoung them that stood up and demanded a truthful answer to that question. The idiots made it to the top of the American business world by hook, crook, or nepotism and we will all suffer because of it, as will our children and their children.
I hope Americans wake up and smell the coffee. All this secret money coming in is bad for Democracy. You have your young people fighting and dying in conflicts abroad for your ideals,.. yet foreigners are going to buy and influence your elected officials. If Rove has nothing to hide,.. then reveal the donors and the source of the money. A very dangerous precedent is being set here,.. it should be the people of the United states that decide the election,.. and not foreign, special interest money. Good luck my American friends.
buying an election huh? If you were selling a good product then you would not have to do that I wouldn't think. We talk about the recession and unemployment in this country, yet GOP backers have little problem with all this money that could be used for good being tossed around to get their candidates in office. Just goes to show where their hearts REALLY lie and it's NOT with the American people that's for sure.
UGH. Totally agree with Carolinago. This unfettered money feels very corrupt.