Author: Rachel Rose Hartman

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) told the audience gathered at CPAC this morning to be more like Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin.

“We should take a page out of her playbook and take a nine iron and smash the window out of big government.”

Today’s noon filing deadline to run for U.S. Senate in Indiana came and went. And thanks to Sen. Evan Bayh’s (D-Ind.) last-minute retirement announcement, no Democrat appears to have qualified to run in his absence. So what happens now?

Bayh gave would-be successors virtually no time to gather the necessary signatures to appear on the May 4 primary ballot. And that means the state Democratic party is now in control.

According to Indiana election law, if no major party candidate runs in the primary, the state party chooses a nominee. The process of filling the vacancy may not officially begin until after the May 4 primary and the party caucus decision must be made no later than June 30.

The only Democrat who appeared to be actively gathering signatures for the Senate race was longshot Tamyra D’Ippolito, a cafe owner. To qualify, D’Ippolito was required to submit a petition for certification to the county voter registration offices by noon today. The Senate race required a petition signed by at least 4,500 registered Indiana voters, including at least 500 registered voters from each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts.

D’Ippolito was still trying to rally supporters more than four hours after today’s deadline. “I am the only Democrat in the state of Indiana that has filed for the U.S. Senate office,” D’Ippolito wrote on her Facebook page. “The machine is giving you the wrong information because they want you to quit filing signatures so they can APPOINT SOMEONE. Do not be fooled by them. FYI.”

Looks like someone’s still fooling herself….

The death of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) means that Congress has lost a longtime fixture and the military community has lost a prominent voice in the House, but it’s Murtha’s Pennsylvania constituents who immediately find themselves short a congressional advocate.
Murtha served 36 years in the House and most recently represented Pennsylvania’s 12th District, located in the southwest corner of the state. He easily won re-election there in recent years, due in part to his powerful position in the House as the top Democrat on Defense Appropriations. Murtha’s prominence was one reason why his winning margins departed from the district results for national candidates. John McCain, for example, carried the district in 2008 with 49 percent of the vote. That same year, Murtha won re-election over Republican Bill Russell with 58 percent.

Russell, an Army veteran, had been angling for a 2010 rematch with Murtha, and as the most prolific fundraiser currently in the 12th District race, Russell now becomes the most prominent candidate likely to run in the special election that will be held this spring to choose Murtha’s successor.

As I wrote last week, Russell outraised Murtha in the final fundraising quarter of 2009. Russell reported an impressive total of $2,865,593 raised through Dec. 31, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. That total now gives Russell an enormous head start in the special election.

Another Republican, businessman Tim Burns, has also been raising funds to run in the district. He reported $82,561 raised, but $50,000 of that was a personal contribution.

On the Democratic side, Ron Mackell Jr., an Air Force veteran and businessman, had stated plans to run as a Democrat, but has yet to report funds raised. Democrat Ryan Bucchianeri, a Navy veteran and businessman, reported less than $20,000 raised through Dec. 31.

Several candidates for the 12th District on Monday used their campaign websites to express their condolences.

Some lawmakers have indicated they aren’t going to touch this weekend’s National Tea Party Convention with a ten-foot pole. Apparently, Alabamans don’t share that sentiment.

Alabama state Treasurer Kay Ivey and former state Chief Justice Roy Moore (both candidates for Alabama governor) announced they are heading to Nashville, Tenn., for the event, where Moore has also accepted an offer to speak.

Sarah Palin’s PAC, SarahPAC, has raised more than $2 million since its formation in Jan. 2009. So which lawmakers and candidates are benefiting from all that potential spending cash?

Well, here’s the list:Politicians Who Received SarahPAC Donations in 2009*

• Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) $3,500
• Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) $3,500
• Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) $2,500
• Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) $2,500
• Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) $2,500
• Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) $2,500
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) $1,000
• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) $2,500
• Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) $1,000
• Doug Hoffman, candidate for New York’s 23rd District (R) $5,000
• John Kasich, candidate for Ohio governor (R) $5,000
• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) $5,000
• Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) $2,500
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) $5,000
• Rob Portman, candidate for Ohio Senate (R) $3,500
• Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) $1,000
• Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) $1,000
• Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor (R-Ohio) $1,000
• Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) $2,500

Julissa Treviño contributed research to this post.

It’s typical for sitting House members to outraise their prospective challengers, especially this far out from Election Day. They have the advantage of incumbency, they’ve done the fundraising thing before, and they have their House colleagues in their corners.

But a review of information provided by the Center for Responsive Politics finds that several incumbents are already failing to keep pace with their competitors — a sign of potentially major trouble for these sitting members of Congress.

Check out our list of House members after the jump …

While multiple House incumbents may find themselves outraised for a quarter, overall, most members still have more cash than their opponents. The following members weren’t so lucky:

House Incumbents Outraised Overall

Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.): Bartlett raised just $95,452 through Dec. 31 for his re-election race in Maryland’s 6th District, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. One of Bartlett’s Democratic challengers, former television news anchor Casey Clark, raised more than that: $145,329. But Clark’s total was boosted by a hefty $50,000 personal loan from Clark himself. Bartlett, 83, has easily won re-election in his conservative district and is expected to do so again in 2010, though he continues to be a target of retirement rumors. Bartlett has indicated he will be running for a 10th term this fall, but even if Bartlet does not run, his district would likely be won by a Republican.

Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.): Bishop’s fundraising numbers aren’t shabby: $954,526 total raised. But his challenger’s numbers — padded by a significant personal loan of $200,000 — are even better. Republican businessman Randy Altschuler reported raising $1,049,150, which includes the $200,000 contribution. Bishop won re-election to his 1st district seat with 58 percent of the vote in 2008, but voters there only supported President Obama for president with 51 percent, an indicator of the district’s competitive potential. Bishop continues to hold the advantage of incumbency, but could be in for a competitive race regardless.

Dan Lungren (R-Calif.): Democratic challenger Ami Bera, a physician and first-time candidate, raised more money than Lungren in the 3rd District race. Bera reported raising $871,052 to Lungren’s $756,295 through Dec. 31. Though multiple Democrats are vying to challenge Lungren (who is on Democratic target lists after winning re-election with under 50 percent of the vote in 2008), it appears that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and committees related to multiple members of Congress have already signaled that Bera is their favorite in the race. The DCCC donated $1,000 to Bera on Dec. 30, and committees connected to Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.) and Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) all donated at the end of 2009 to Bera, who also invested $12,489 in personal funds to his campaign. (Update: The DCCC informs me that Bera is the only remaining Democrat in the race and donations were made to Bera after he had cleared the field.)

John Murtha (D-Pa.): Republican candidate Bill Russell, an Army veteran, challenged Murtha in 2008 and received, back then, substantial funding from national Republicans for his campaign. Now, Russell’s back for another bid in the 12th District, and it appears he’s thus far been able to post strong fundraising numbers without national assistance. Russell reported $2,865,593 raised this cycle, and only $5,500 of that came from PACs. Murtha reported $909,466 raised overall. While Murtha continues to wield the advantage of incumbency — he is a 36-year House veteran — he did receive negative press for a House investigation into whether he and other members traded earmarks for donations. That investigation concluded in December, but other investigations into businesses that received earmarks are still reportedly underway. Murtha was hospitalized this week, days after undergoing gall-bladder surgery.

Dave Reichert (R-Wa.): Reichert is a perennial target for Democrats, mostly due to his competitive Seattle-area 8th District. For his first congressional bid in 2004, the national parties spent more on his open seat race than any other House contest that year. This time, Democratic challenger Suzan DelBene, a former executive at Microsoft Corp., has already raised $1,047,873, and Reichert posted nearly the same amount: $1,041,244. The difference is that DelBene’s total included $509,033 in personal funds. Reichert won re-election by 5 percent in 2005, 3 percent in 2006 and nearly 6 percent in 2008 against the same opponent he defeated in 2006, Darcy Burner.

Bill Young (R-Fla.): This congressional veteran never raises much in the off-year, so his appearance on this list is unsurprising. Yet what’s different about the 2010 cycle is that Young is expected to face a more robust challenger in his 10th District than in years past. Young has raised just $63,801. His challenger, Democratic state Sen. Charlie Justice, reported raising $212,292. Justice received financial assistance from several labor-related PACs in the last quarter of 2009. Young, 79, is the subject of persistent retirement rumors. He has stated he’s receiving pressure to run for re-election, but he has not made an official announcement. Were Young to retire, Republicans would definitely have trouble holding his competitive district. Voters there supported Obama with 52 percent of the vote in 2008.

List of outraised incumbents originated from OpenSecrets.org. All fundraising totals were obtained from Federal Election Commission filings.

Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith’s Dec. 22 switch from the Democratic Party to the GOP hasn’t played out terribly well so far. And here’s another piece of bad news for him: During a period of time that included Griffith’s surprise switch, Griffith’s primary challenger managed to outraise the incumbent. Tea Party Republican Les Phillip raised $228,534 from October to December 2009, while Griffith raised just $172,004, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Griffith also shelled out $19,550 in refunds last quarter, most of which went to Democratic supporters who wanted their money back after Griffith joined the GOP.

So, are these numbers a sign of fundraising struggles to come for Griffith or future GOP strength for Phillip?

Well, before Phillip supporters get too excited, check out Griffith’s overall totals: $1,074,727 raised and $714,835 on hand. Phillip reported $364,138 raised and $66,108 on hand. And Phillip’s total raised includes a personal loan in the amount of $50,341.

One expense Griffith will definitely be saving: those National Democratic Club membership dues he’s been reporting to the FEC.

h/t TWI reader Steve

Republican candidate Allen West, an Iraq war veteran who has caught the attention of multiple conservative and Tea Party groups, for the last quarter outraised the House incumbent he hopes to unseat in November: fundraising powerhouse Ron Klein (D-Fla.).

West reported $677,586 raised from Oct. through Dec., and Klein reported $330,140 raised in the same period, according to year-end Federal Election Commission filings.

When Klein first ran for Congress in 2006, his successful campaign against Republican Rep. Clay Shaw was one of the most expensive congressional races of the year. In the 2008 cycle, Klein raised nearly $4 million for reelection in his Boca Raton-area district. West was the GOP nominee in 2008, but he was defeated by Klein 55 to 45 percent.

Klein still boasts more money raised overall and more cash on hand than West. West raised $1,221,394 total and was left with $707,150 after expenses. Klein raised $1,402,192 total and reported $2,370,674 on hand as of Dec. 31.

Mitt Romney’s PAC is burning through money — the PAC reported a 78 percent overall burn rate as of Dec. 31 — but he has plenty of cash to spare. Romney’s PAC reported $1,125,375 cash on hand as of Dec. 31, beating out both Sarah Palin’s SarahPAC and Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (R-Minn.) Freedom First PAC in cash available, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Romney has raised a total of $3,565,311 and spent $2,777,912, since he first formed his PAC months after exiting the presidential race in 2008.

Pawlenty only formed his PAC in October 2009, so his totals were expected to be less robust than the those of Palin and Romney (who recently vied for vice president and president, respectively). Pawlenty’s burn rate was just about 31 percent overall and he reported $884,075 on hand. He raised $1,279,906 and spent $395,831 total through Dec. 31.

Since SarahPAC was first formed in Jan. 2009, the committee has raised $2,132,119, spent $1,203,782 and reported $928,337 on hand as of Dec. 31.

While most of SarahPAC’s money was spent on consulting, fundraising and other typical campaign expenditures, the committee reported spending tens of thousands on photographs, books and trinkets in the last half of the year. SarahPAC spent $13,668 on photos, $63,498 on books, $6,455 on t-shirt design and printing and nearly $3,000 on pens and rubber bracelets in the latter six months of 2009. These and other items contributed to SarahPAC’s overall burn rate of 56 percent.

Julissa Treviño contributed research to this post.