Rebels With a Cause: Grass-Roots Conservatives Outraise Establishment in Battle for GOP

[happyg]

By Sandy Fitzgerald
Grass-roots groups seeking a conservative Republican Party are raking in more money than establishment GOP organizations in what is shaping up as a big-bucks struggle for control of the party’s future amid the looming mid-term elections.

 Powerful groups, such as Karl Rove's Crossroads, are this year having trouble raising the same kind of cash they brought in during the 2012 elections, The New York Times reports.

 Crossroads spent more than $300 million trying to oust President Barack Obama and win the Senate, but failed in both efforts, and donors are turning elsewhere in hopes of returning Republicans to Washington.

 Rove's three Crossroads organizations raised just $6.1 million last year, 98 percent less than in 2012, Politico reports.

 The Tea Party Patriots, meanwhile, are raising record amounts of money, attracting donors angry about compromises incumbent GOP lawmakers have made in recent years over federal spending.

 Tea Party Patriots President Jenny Beth Martin told the Times the increased funds allow the group to become active in more races, and that people are becoming more involved in the organization.

 Advertising campaigns are already being waged in Kentucky, Mississippi, and other states where tea party-backed candidates are attempting to force incumbents out of office.

 Crossroads, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and Young Guns Action, all which have close ties to the party's Congressional leadership, have raised a combined $7.7 million in 2013.

 But the grass-roots groups FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth Action Fund, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Tea Party Patriots, raised $20 million last year, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

“This is by far the biggest nonelection year we’ve ever had,” said Matt Hoskins, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund, a group that squares off against establishment Republican organizations. "It shows how committed people are to electing true conservatives and to advancing conservative principles.”

Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity, the advocacy group founded by billionaire David Koch, has spent more than $23 million on attacks against Democratic incumbents, particularly those who supported Obamacare.

 And while Republicans counted on Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies in 2012 to attack Democratic candidates, the GOP now counts on Americans for Prosperity, which also has been critical of the Republican party.

 "The model that we have been building for the past eight years — a state-based organization with a supportive home office but a permanent infrastructure on the ground, with real troops, and with real support behind it — is one that our supporters believe in," said Levi Russell, a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity.

 Despite the early fund-raising numbers, establishment organizations like Crossroads traditionally raise more money as general elections near. Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio said pledges are on track with previous cycles, and the group remains optimistic that Republicans can win a Senate majority and keep their hold on the House.

 Major trade associations are also planning to spend millions against Democrats, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce planning to spend at least $50 million on the upcoming elections to ensure tea party backed candidates, whom it says can't win elections, will not be on the ballot.

 Meanwhile, two super PACs announced Friday that they had pulled in $16.4 million, or twice the amount it collected in 2011, the last comparable year, the Times reported.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/tea-party-fund-raising-gop-right/2014/02/01/id/550335#ixzz2s7vuqoIE
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[Formerly Once-Ler]

But the grass-roots groups FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth Action Fund, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Tea Party Patriots, raised $20 million last year, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

TEA PARTY PATRIOTS CITIZENS FUND
Raised $6,405,087 and spent $5,327,365 in 2013. They have $1,069,925 cash on hand

FREEDOMWORKS FOR AMERICA
Raised $847,243 and spent $1,083,260 in 2013.  They have $595,214 cash on hand   

CLUB FOR GROWTH ACTION
Raised $2,613,409 and spent $1,258,423 They have $1,776,687 cash on hand

SENATE CONSERVATIVES FUND
Raised $7,733,854 and spent $8,083,425.  They have cash on hand.  $859,424

That comes to a total raised of 17,599,593 (Club For Growth PAC raised $672,743 spent $513,509 and has $289,651)  There maybe some ancillary PACs that account for the 1.7 million difference between what the FEC says they raised and what the report says was raised.

Freedomworks is a joke they have less money than they did at the start of the year and what do they have to show for it?  Did they elect Ken Cuccinelli?  McAuliffe spent $33 million to win that Governorship.  How much did Freedomworks kick in out of the $1,083,260 they spent? If it was less than $33 million than it was just a fart in the breeze.  What else do they have to show for it?  http://www.gallup.com/poll/166217/tea-party-favorability-falls-lowest-yet.aspx

Tea Party Patiots and FreedomWorks don't file monthly but for your reading pleasure...

Here is the FEC info on CLUB FOR GROWTH ACTION
    
Report    Report Type    Total Receipts    Total Disbursements    Cash on Hand
2013    Year-End     $391,759    $27,223              $1,776,687
2013    December     $56,927      $19,970              $1,412,151
2013     November     $158,771    $356,131            $1,375,194
2013    October       $282,433    $118,336            $1,572,553
2013    September     $683,770    $161,281             $1,408,456
2013    August        $89,477      $67,994               $885,968
2013    July              $120,385    $36,628               $864,485
2013    June            $337,057    $7,668                $780,729
2013    May                  $279,245    $38,294              $451,339
2013    April             $9,392        $385,844            $210,388
2013    March           $2,023        $30,373              $586,841
2013    February      $202,168    $8,677                $615,192

The Club For Growth has seen its receipts tank since August (the Sept report covers Aug 1st to Aug 30th) except for the accounting gimmicky Year-End report.  You'll see the same thing with the SCF.  However CFG has $1,776,687 and added over $1.3 million to their cash on hand for the year.  Bravo Club for Growth.  They spent $1,776,687 but I have no idea how much money Club for Growth invested in Ken Cuccinelli's race. Probably not much since they were spending big bucks to convince freshmen Senators with skulls full of mush to shutdown the government.

Here is the FEC info on the SENATE CONSERVATIVES FUND
    
Year    Report Type    Total Receipts    Total Disbursements    Cash on Hand
2013    Year-End     $738,645    $733,596                $859,424
2013    December     $363,411    $636,024            $854,375
2013     November     $982,753    $1,498,220         $1,126,988
2013     October       $2,130,548    $1,328,357          $1,642,455
2013    September     $1,527,546    $2,104,179         $840,264
2013    August        $612,525    $532,986            $1,416,896
2013    July               $470,893    $404,781            $1,337,357
2013    June            $181,751    $194,615            $1,271,245
2013    May             $270,058    $237,494            $1,284,109
2013    April             $175,427    $191,614            $1,251,545
2013    March           $148,374    $61,433              $1,267,732
2013    February      $131,916    $160,121            $1,180,791

You see how they have less money now than they did at the beginning of the year?  All that money they raised they spent. They spent $8 million in 2013 and all you got was this lousy post.
 

“This is by far the biggest nonelection year we’ve ever had,” said Matt Hoskins, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund, a group that squares off against establishment Republican organizations. "It shows how committed people are to electing true conservatives and to advancing conservative principles.”

Biggest year ever he says.  What do they have to show for it?  Combined they still have 4.3 million left of 18-20 million raised or roughly $1.8 million more than they started the year with.

I am less than impressed and things don't look like they are getting better for the brand of conservatism being hawked by Chocola, Kibbe, and Hoskins.

[PzLdr]

"Paging Carl Rove!"  "Paging Carl Rove!" "Please report to your white board!" 

[Gazoo]

"Paging Carl Rove!"  "Paging Carl Rove!" "Please report to your white board!" 

 

[Formerly Once-Ler]

"Paging Carl Rove!"  "Paging Carl Rove!" "Please report to your white board!" 

I wish.  Although it was meant as a cut, Thank you.