There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about whether the new Republican campaign group American Crossroads will be competing with the RNC for donations this election season. But while American Crossroads may make some GOPers nervous, founder Jim Dyke says it’s the Democrats who should be running scared.
“This is the Republicans using all the tools that are available to try and win in November,” Dyke told me in an interview. He’s teamed up with former RNC Chairman Mike Duncan and RNC member Joann Davidson and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Steven Law. Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie also are involved.
Dyke said the GOP realized in 2004 that 527 groups ACT and the Media Fund were doing a better job on campaign ads for Democrats than the GOP could do. That kept up in 2006 and 2008, he said. “We’ve known we needed this for a long time,” Dyke said.
He said American Crossroads, launching soon with a .org web site, will spend millions to “advocate for the election of Republicans.”
The 527 – with $30 million already in pledged donations and a $60 million goal – will fund Congressional races only and won’t be getting involved in the gubernatorial campaigns across the country. “That’s the RGA’s job,” Dyke told me. The RGA also is a 527 and has no caps on contributions, unlike the campaign committees for House and Senate Republicans.
He declined to detail more than has already been reported about the fundraising but said pledges have been coming in from individuals, corporations and “people who are allowed to make contributions to 527s.”
He also lauded American Crossroads’ office building mate the American Action Network, founded by former Sen. Norm Coleman.
More on the Republican heartburn and RNC’s woes here.
National Journal this week posted some good details about a meeting at Rove’s home office with “two dozen big name Republican consultants, fundraisers and operatives.” They reported Coleman’s group has a $25 million fundraising goal.
From the piece:
The meeting also featured a legal briefing for the three groups about the dos — and don’ts — of coordination and the rules for mounting direct advocacy campaigns in light of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and other recent court cases. In general, these outside groups can share certain kinds of information about races to maximize their resources and clout, but can’t coordinate with any of the GOP party committees or individual campaigns. In a small sign of solidarity (and efficiency), two of the groups–American Crossroads and American Action Network–have this month moved into adjacent offices at 1401 New York Ave. N.W.
This post has been updated.
