WASHINGTON — House rank-and-file Republicans are tens of millions of dollars short of meeting fundraising targets set by their own campaign committee in advance of this fall’s elections, according to figures circulating among the leadership, heightening concerns inside the party about major losses in November.
Most recent figures show that GOP lawmakers have brought $27 million into the coffers of the National Republican Congressional Committee in the past 17 months, far short of the target of about $58 million. Compounding the challenge, they will soon be asked to raise another $20 million or more to help candidates in selected battleground districts.
Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, chairman of the NRCC, provided the information recently to the leadership and to members of a newly formed committee charged with reinvigorating the campaign effort in the wake of the loss of three seats to Democrats in special elections. The AP obtained a copy of some of the documents involved in the presentations.
The disclosure comes in addition to other unsettling news for Republicans, who trail Democrats badly in cash on hand and are grappling with the alleged theft of more than $700,000 by a former employee.
The NRCC declined comment. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the party’s leader in the House, is encouraging his colleagues to do more to help, a spokesman said.
“Mr. Boehner’s focus right now is doing everything possible to help House Republicans be successful this fall, and that includes pushing all our members to do more to help our team,” said his spokesman, Kevin Smith.
Republicans controlled the House for 12 years until they lost the majority in 2006. In the months since, their political position has eroded significantly, judging from polls, campaign fundraising and other factors.
The result has been a private acknowledgment among lawmakers and aides that the GOP is unlikely to regain the majority in 2008 and will be fortunate to hold its losses to a minimum.
Both parties have political committees that typically raise more than $100 million for the fall campaign. While much of the money comes from donors, individual lawmakers also are expected to help.
The information Cole distributed included the total each Republican has been asked by the NRCC to raise, an amount that is highest for members of the leadership and lowest for first-term lawmakers facing competitive races in the fall.
Overall, the NRCC, which began the election cycle with a debt of more than $10 million, showed cash on hand of $6.7 million as of April 30 in its most recent report to the Federal Election Commission. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported cash on hand of $45.2 million.
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