NY-23: Scozzafava Backs Owens

by: DavidNYC

Sun Nov 01, 2009 at 2:51 PM EST

It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.

It's not in the cards for me to be your representative, but I strongly believe Bill is the only candidate who can build upon John McHugh's lasting legacy in the U.S. Congress. John and I worked together on the expansion of Fort Drum and I know how important that base is to the economy of this region. I am confident that Bill will be able to provide the leadership and continuity of support to Drum Country just as John did during his tenure in Congress.

In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he represents us in Congress he will put our interests first.

Please join me in voting for Bill Owens on Tuesday. To address the tough challenges ahead, we must rise above partisanship and politics and work together. There's too much at stake in this election to do otherwise.

Well, I take back what I said about "reading between the lines" of Scozzafava's statement yesterday. It's good to see her doing the right thing here, and I'm sure it will only enrage the teabaggers further. ("See! She wasn't a real Republican, just like we said!") Quite a few other folks are also switching to Owens, among them the  New York State United Teachers union, which had previously spent about $50K on Dede's behalf (see below). Several other unions are following suit, including the AFL-CIO and a local branch of the United Auto Workers. And Scozzafava's husband, Ron McDougall - himself a union official - also endorsed the Democrat:

"This has been a difficult day for my family. But the needs and concerns of the men and women of the 23rd Congressional District remain paramount," McDougall said. "As such, I wholeheartedly and without reservation endorse the candidacy of Bill Owens."

"As a life-long labor activist, I know that Bill Owens understands the issues important to working people. On the other hand, Doug Hoffman has little regard for the interests of workers."

"Hoffman's opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, coupled with his support for the failed policies of the Bush Administration make him a poor choice to serve the citizens of the 23rd Congressional District."

Similarly, the Watertown Daily Times had no problem enthusiastically backing Owens (they had previously given their nod to Dede):

Of the two, Bill Owens is by far the superior and only choice.

The Democratic candidate has demonstrated a willingness to listen to people about ways in which he could help the district as their representative in Washington. Mr. Owens has remained focused on the economy and job creation throughout his campaign. At the same time, he has shown an understanding of the military, a keen desire to help dairy farmers, an ability to work with labor unions and an eagerness to learn more about the vast, 11-county district that he hopes to represent.

Also, below is a chart summarizing all independent expenditures in the NY-23 race from Sept. 23rd (the first time outside groups spent money here) through Oct. 31st:

As noted above, the NYSUT (the union behind VOTE/COPE) just switched over to Owens from Scozzafava.

NY-23: No Good Days for Dede

by: DavidNYC

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 10:49 PM EDT

In September, Scozzafava's campaign claimed she opposed the "card check" provision of the Employee Free Choice Act. But at the same time, she told the AFL-CIO, in a candidate questionnaire, that she supported EFCA's provision that "would require employers to honor their workers' decision to join a union after a majority of them signed a union authorization card or petition."

In an attempt to nail down exactly where the Janus-faced Scozzafava stands on the issue, Weekly Standard reporter John McCormack got a bit more than he bargained for. McCormack did succeed in finding out Scozzafava's views on card check (she says she supports it - at least, today), but the candidate was remarkably unwilling to answer any other questions. McCormack's persistence didn't exactly pay off:

I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: "Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her twice more. Silence.

After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to report the evening's events.

Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address.

"Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me.

"[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's not like you're in any trouble."

Calling the cops on a reporter doesn't seem like a winning move to begin with; getting into an intramural battle with a conservative publication seems even more foolhardy. Nonetheless, a Scozzafava flack emailed Politico to claim that McCormack "repeatedly screamed questions" at the candidate. Other attendees said that McCormack was "quiet" during the event, so who knows. A spokesman for Conservative Doug Hoffman's campaign opined:

If any police investigation needs to take place, it should be of Dede Scozzafava, for impersonating a Republican.

Zing!

Meanwhile, the Scozzafava camp decided to continue its fued with the Weekly Standard, releasing an email exchange between McCormack and another Republican spokesman to TPM about whether Scozzafava would vote for John Boehner as speaker should she win election. (The Scozzafava guy just comes off as squirrely.) The attacks on McCormack prompted Weekly Standard honcho Bill Kristol to weigh in, branding the Scozzafava campaign "desperate."

But really, this is all a minor nuisance (albeit one a struggling Republican campaign can ill afford). The real news for Dede is worse - much worse. The Club for Growth just announced a brand-new $300K moneybomb on ads attacking Scozzafava for (what else) being a "liberal." At the same time, the SEIU just dropped $82K on mailers for Dem Bill Owens, and the D-Trip threw down $132 grand on media buys. This brings the DCCC's total spending to $520K.

Meanwhile, former GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey will campaign for Hoffman, while Susan Collins and Florida Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (srsly?) will stump for Scozzafava. Owens is probably feeling a bit more stoked than the competition about the help he's getting - tonight President Obama held a fundraiser for him in New York City.

And finally, all three candidates agreed to a one-hour debate on Oct. 29th, though it won't be broadcast until Nov. 1st.

NY-23: Money Where Their Mouths Are

by: James L.

Fri Oct 02, 2009 at 2:44 AM EDT

The party committees are also in the thick of it, too: the NRCC upped their ad buy against Owens by $35K, raising their total tab for the open seat race to just north of $150,000. The DCCC dropped another $65K on media buys earlier this week, too, bringing their total amount spent on Owens to $127K. I'd expect those buys to snowball in the coming days, as the committees try to neutralize the Club For Growth's investment.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 10/27-11/2

by: James L.

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 4:10 PM EST

As you can see, the DCCC outspent the NRCC by a greater than 2-to-1 margin int he final week of the campaign, and by a greater than 3-to-1 margin over the entire campaign. Would I have preferred to see some of this money spread out more? Of course. But it'll only take us a few more hours to pinpoint the races that got away from us.

House Third-Party Spending: $85m for Blue, $29m for Red

by: DavidNYC

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 1:18 AM EST

We do, however, include spending by many third-party groups, not just the DCCC and NRCC. In fact, we've tracked spending by forty-six different organizations, some of which you've heard of, many of which are obscure. The list includes the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Safari Club, SEIU, the National Association of Realtors, the Michigan Republican Party and many, many more. (Scroll down to the key at the bottom for the complete list.)

And all of these groups made choices, whether to support Team Red or Team Blue. Some supported both. At the end of the day, though, Democrats completely and utterly swamped the field. Here's a brief run-down of the sixty-nine districts which saw serious spending this cycle (note: we excluded a handful of districts where aggregate spending was under about $20K):

Total spending on Dem-held seats:
     Blue: $18,588,000
     Red: $6,035,000

Total spending on GOP-held seats:
     Blue: $66,849,000
     Red: $22,898,000

Total spending on all seats:
     Blue: $85,437,000
     Red: $28,933,000

Below the fold are two tables of district-by-district spending. The first lists Dem-held seats, the second lists GOP-held seats. Both are sorted by total amount spent in the district. Note that averages only take into account seats where a side actually spent money.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 10/28

by: James L.

Wed Oct 29, 2008 at 2:57 AM EDT

Now, uh, I suspect that this post will be met with "scattered boos" once again, but keep in mind that the DCCC isn't done yet -- they will most likely be filing more reports tomorrow evening. (For instance, they have new ads up in WV-02 and VA-02.) Maybe we'll see a surprise or two -- or maybe not.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 10/20-26

by: James L.

Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 10:32 PM EDT

More details on these and other expenditures are available at SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

UPDATE: In the comments, a former DCCC staffer weighs in to rebut criticisms of the party's IE spending. Worth a read.

Boom Goes the Dynamite: DCCC Spends $12.6 Million in 51 Districts

by: James L.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 12:31 AM EDT

It was a $12.6 million day for the DCCC today, and they dumped cash in 51 races, including some first-timers like MN-06 (Bachmann), WV-02 (Capito), WY-AL (Open), and SC-01 (Brown). They've also hit the airwaves in KS-02, against the wishes of Nancy Boyda. (Good.) The NRCC, meanwhile, could only pop off a $1 million response (although they did spend $4 million yesterday).

I'm not particularly thrilled with the amount spent on Baron Hill or against Keith Fimian (an utter nobody, albeit a rich nobody), but I'm pleased to see a few more districts added to the big board.

Independent expenditures: one key to a landslide

by: David Kowalski

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 2:30 AM EDT

Take NY-25 where Alice Kryzan won a surprising primary win.  Kryzan has been outspent about 2-1 by Christopher Lee (1,062 K to 528 K).  Lee is one of the larger self funders among GOP House candidates furnishing $650 K.  And yet, the advantage of Mr. Moneybags is eliminated if one counts the huge 884 to 77 Democratic lead in independent expenditures in the district.  It is Lee who has been outspent by a 1412 k to 1139 k margin.

Other NY House seats show a similar trend.  Eric Massa has outspent the increasingly desperate Randy Kuhl by a solid 1261 K to 883 K margin.  But Kuhl also faces a 182 k to 87 K deficit for independent expenditures putting him behind 1446 K to 970 K for double barrelled expenditures.  Dan Maffei in NY-25 stretches his lead from 1364 K to 197 K to 1509 K to 197 K.  I didn't even record NY-13 because I only followed competitive money races.

DCCC, NRCC Spend $7.8 Million

by: James L.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 1:20 AM EDT

The NRCC finally opens its wallet -- they spent nearly $4 million today, while the DCCC threw down $3.8 mil (but were aided by groups like the Defenders of Wildlife and the Humane Society).

I'm sure the D-trip will be filing many more ad buys tomorrow. More details are available at SSP's IE tracker.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 10/13-19

by: James L.

Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 12:28 AM EDT

More details on these and other expenditures are available at SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

DCCC, NRCC Spend $9 Million in 46 Districts

by: James L.

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 1:07 AM EDT

*RCCNM = Republican Campaign Committee of New Mexico

Tonight marks the first time that the DCCC has spent in IN-03, NE-02 and NY-29. For the NRCC, this is their first big expenditure against Democrat Raul Martinez in FL-21. (No word yet on any DCCC response.) Not included in this rundown is Freedom's Crotch, who are spending $220K against Martin Heinrich in New Mexico's 1st District.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please consult SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 10/6-12

by: James L.

Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 11:17 PM EDT

As always, this total does not include expenditures from 501(c)(4) groups like Freedom's Crotch (who have spent a few million bucks against Democrats in a handful of districts) and the Dem-allied Majority Action. The NRA and a few other groups are making some very piddly expenditures in a few races (the NRA on billboards in about a dozen contested districts), but they're not included in this roundup for the sake of brevity. More details are available at SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

DCCC, NRCC Spend $8 Million in 40 House Races

by: James L.

Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:55 PM EDT

Here are the latest Independent Expenditures filed tonight by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. In total, it was a $7.9 million day for the Republican and Democratic groups, and the biggest single-day money dump by the DCCC so far this cycle.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please consult our Independent Expenditure Tracker.

Of particular note is the titanic DCCC expenditure in Alaska against Don Young. Alaska is a cheap media market, so this must represent several weeks worth of ad time -- it could possibly be a saturation buy for the entire month.

All told, the DCCC spent money in 41 districts tonight, while the NRCC is going for concentrated bursts in just a limited number. It seems that they're going for a strategy of holding a line around a few select races rather than try to keep up with the DCCC across the board -- which is no surprise, given their extraordinarily weak cash-on-hand ($14.4 million as of September 1st).

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 9/29-10/5

by: James L.

Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 10:35 PM EDT

As always, you can find more information about these expenditures (which don't include electioneering expenditures by the likes of Freedom's Crotch and the Dem-allied Majority Action) in our Independent Expenditure Tracker.

Note: In contrast to previous weeks, I've now included every race where money has been spent, even if there's been no action this week.

Special note: The National Rifle Association is beginning to make some pretty piddly expenditures in favor of Republicans, but I've chosen not to include this in the chart -- the sums being spent are so inconsequential and minor that I figure it's not worth the effort. Indeed, in many House races in 2006 where the group spent money, many (if not most) of the totals spent were under $10K per race. If they start spending some significant dollars, I'll track it, but for now they're off the charts.

DCCC Drops $4.6 Million in 37 Districts

by: James L.

Tue Sep 30, 2008 at 11:04 PM EDT

The expenditures -- mostly for TV buys and some mail -- amount to the biggest single-day money dump for the DCCC so far this cycle.

The beleaguered NRCC is up with their first real TV buy of the fall in PA-03 -- a telling sign of GOP Rep. Phil English's vulnerability. They should also be posting a buy against Dem Rep. Steve Kagen (WI-08) soon.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please check SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 9/22-28

by: James L.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 at 10:48 PM EDT

Don't let that massive blue-red discrepancy lull you into complacency -- these are independent expenditures, but 501(c)(4) groups like Freedom's Crotch and the Club For Growth are in on the action, as well. The CFG posted a $250K expenditure against Dem Rep. Chris Carney, and the Crotch is going up on the air with $1.3 million worth of multi-week ad buys in support of slimeball Republicans in IL-10, NJ-07, NM-01, and NV-03.

For more details on these and other expenditures, check out SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

DCCC Throws Down $1.6 Million in 16 Districts

by: James L.

Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 8:30 PM EDT

This is on top of $1.4 million in media buys filed in 15 other districts yesterday. Tonight marks the first time that the DCCC has spent money on TV ads in LA-06, NJ-03, NM-02, NV-03, and WI-08.

For more details on these and other expenditures, please consult SSP's Independent Expenditure Tracker.

DCCC Spends $1.4 Million in 15 Districts

by: James L.

Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 2:16 AM EDT

Tonight marks the first time that the DCCC has aired ads in AZ-08, FL-16, KY-02, MD-01, and VA-11.

The lone GOP-friendly media buy comes from the bastards at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which is dropping cash in support of Republican Bill Cassidy (himself an MD) in his race against Don Cazayoux. See you in hell, eye doctors!

But don't get the impression that this is one-sided affair just because the NRCC is holding its musket fire. Freedom's Crotch is up with some ad buys of its own smearing Democrats:

• AL-02: $150,000
  
• IL-11: $430,000
  
• NJ-03: $74,000
  
• NJ-07: $500,000

The Crotch is also spending an unspecified amount on NM-01 and NV-03. Ugh.

Independent Expenditure Roundup: 9/15-21

by: James L.

Sun Sep 21, 2008 at 8:58 PM EDT

The DCCC continues to have the field to itself -- with the notable exception of the National Association of Realtors, which is throwing down some serious cash to protect GOP Reps. Chris Shays and Joe Knollenberg. I suppose it's sort of unsurprising that the Realtors are against Jim Himes -- after all, Himes has spent the past several years working for an affordable housing nonprofit.

For more details on these expenditures, please check our Independent Expenditure Tracker.