In a sign that the House Republicans have nowhere to go but up, Roll Call reports that the NRCC is limiting its next “Patriot Day” program — a fundraising event to benefit selected incumbents — to only five House GOPers, down from a previously-planned ten.
The five members are: Mary Bono Mack (CA), Charlie Dent (PA), Patrick Tiberi (OH), Lee Terry (NE) and Tom Rooney (FL). “The political environment has shifted, and there just aren’t five more vulnerable Members who are really in need of assistance or facing a credible challenge,” an NRCC aide told the paper. “That money would be better spent by directly transferring money to the committee and on assisting the large number of challenger candidates looking to oust a Democrat incumbent.”
Late Update: An earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI). It has been corrected.
Another way of looking at it is this: The Republicans got cleaned out in 2006 and 2008. With the exception of some open swing seats where usually safe GOP incumbents are retiring, there’s not too much left that the GOP has a serious chance of losing.
When asked for comment, NRCC spokesman John Randall gave us this statement: “After 4 years of Democrats running this country’s finances, Americans are fed up with the lack of accountability and the worsening economic indicators. House Republicans have faced two wave elections and know what they need to do to withstand the Democrat attack machine. We are happy that our Members have risen to the challenge and continue to put themselves in a strong position for reelection in 2010.”
