State GOP Readies for 2010
Catching up on a few things that slipped by while I have been otherwise occupied…
Give state GOP Chairman Mike Hubbard his due; he began his tenure as party Chair with the party in debt after the 2006 elections and has done yeoman’s work in getting the state party ready for the 2010 election cycle. Campaign 2010 had a goal of raising $4 million in 4 years. Four months into the effort the party has impressively hit its goal and received $4 million in pledges. Hubbard aims now to raise $7 million by 2010. The Press-Register had the story.
Some are questioning what kind of access to the Governor the contributors are getting for their $40,000 pledge to the Governor’s Club.
Political observers said the campaign appears to conform to state laws. But Jess Brown, a political science professor at Athens State University, said Riley, not the party, would be hurt more by nondisclosure, and questions of access reflect on him.
“The governor is lending the aegis of his office,” he said. “If it means getting access, it means getting gubernatorial time. And I don’t think the governor should ever say,’My time is for sale, and you can buy it through the political party.’”
Political science professor David Lanoue at the University of Alabama added in the article, “Obviously there’s the fundamental question of contributors and what they want and what they hope for. One reason so many people push for open accounting is to put suspicions to rest.”
No big surprise that the Republicans are not going to go beyond the reporting requirements of Alabama law. (Anyone want to convince us that the state Democrats would do it differently?)
But come 2010, the issue will be to see what legislative districts the state GOP believes it can flip with a war chest of 5, 6, 7 million dollars or more.
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The real question is whether they’ll have two partisan US Attorneys at their disposal. That’s been worth millions to the AL GOP.
Comment by yeah, but — April 22, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
If Bedford, Barron and Folsom announced their own $10million slush fund for 2010, the Justice Department would occupy Alabama like their Republican brethren did during Reconstruction.
This stinks worse than the paper mills wafting over Montgomery when the wind is wrong.
I wonder if Hubbard is telling donors who the Judicial Committee Chairman will be, and how fast they can pass tort reform with these BCA types help?
What other concessions to GOP Legislative policy do you think are being promised?
Maybe publius can enlighten us?
Comment by Real Talk — April 22, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
In 2006 they had a muti million dollar slush fund between them. Don’t forget to add Zeb Little to the group needing investigating.
Comment by JD — April 22, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
Twinkle claims that she raised and spent $4 million in 2006 for the Republican Party. She didn’t even get a lousy wet T-shirt for her troubles and made no gains in the house or senate. $4 million is not chump change.
Comment by Tupac — April 22, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
If Bedford, Barron and Folsom announced their own $10million slush fund for 2010…
In 2006 they had a muti million dollar slush fund between them. Don’t forget to add Zeb Little to the group needing investigating.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kim Benefield and Gerald Dial agree
Comment by SIW — April 23, 2008 @ 1:35 pm