RGA puts money in Maryland
The Republican Governor's Association will spend tens of thousands of dollars in the Baltimore television market this week, marking the group's debut in Maryland's hotly contested gubernatorial race and providing another sign that national Republican groups believe the GOP has a shot at picking off a Democratic governor here
The RGA, led by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, paid $61K for ads airing on WBAL-TV starting this morning, according to the station. (For some comparison, over the summer Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley's campaign spent about $30K a week on WBAL-TV -- a sum that bought them 50 spots on the station's news shows. However, the summer rates tend to be cheaper than the current fall fees.) We're still waiting to hear back from other stations in the Baltimore market and also a reply from a RGA spokesman who was emailed late Monday.
The cash infusion was not coordinated with GOP gubernatorial candidate Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, said spokesman Henry Fawell. However, the former governor has frequently said that the RGA would help him. He may be counting on that national money to help make up his roughly 3 to 1 cash disadvantage in the race.
The RGA has poured millions into other states with close races -- putting $4 million behind Republican Rick Scott who is squaring off against Democrat Alex Sink in Florida's governor's race, according to the Tampa Tribune. Barbour's group raised a stunning $40 million to spend on competitive gubernatorial races this season, earning the RGA lead the title of "de facto chairman of the Republican Party" according to Politico.
Barbour told the Talking Points Memo that his organization practices "ruthless targeting." He added: "We don't pay for sure winners, we don't pay for sure losers."
The RGA has poured millions into other states with close races -- putting $4 million behind Republican Rick Scott who is squaring off against Democrat Alex Sink in Florida's governor's race, according to the Tampa Tribune. Barbour's group raised a stunning $40 million to spend on competitive gubernatorial races this season, earning the RGA lead the title of "de facto chairman of the Republican Party" according to Politico.
Barbour told the Talking Points Memo that his organization practices "ruthless targeting." He added: "We don't pay for sure winners, we don't pay for sure losers."
Meanwhile, today an O'Malley takes down an attack ad that featured footage from a Maryland Public Television pubic affairs program. The Sun today reported that the ad angered the station's executives who worried it made them appeared biased and wanted it pulled. MPT this year received $9 million in state tax dollars and did not want to appear to be a state funded organ of the governor's re-election campaign. O'Malley's team said they'd only planned on running the ad for a week and had intended to rotate in a new commercial today.
Comments
Good for them. Anybody but Gov. O'Malley. Now is the time to get rid of his kind of thinking once and for all. My favorite word this year is "UNSUSTAINABLE". We cannot continue to go down this road of tax and spend by those who know nothing, and worst, don't care, about me. I worked for over 50 years to get what little I have. Gov. O'Malley does not know this, and worst yet, he doesn't care. He uses me for my hard earned money, but never appreciates the sacrifices my family made in order to get where we are today. He just wants more..more...more. Well, guess what Martin O'Malley....I have become selfish. I want to keep, keep, keep the little I have. I call it the American Dream. Have you forgotten this? THE AMERICAN DREAM, HON!
Enough Already! I can't give anymore.
Posted by: Carole | September 21, 2010 8:21 AM
Well if Gov. O'Malley was supposed to take down the MPT ad today, he must have been lying, because I've been seeing it all morning long on WBAL 11 & WJZ 13
Posted by: ComicsHero | September 21, 2010 9:02 AM
Didn't Fox News recently donate one million dollars to the Republican Governors Association? Seems this is how some of it is being spent. I had been hoping the gutter ads would skip Maryland, but that was wishful thinking I guess.
Posted by: Mary | September 21, 2010 10:11 AM
The amount of money being spent to win political contests is obscene and such a waste. Campaign finance laws desperately need an overhaul. The infusion of out-of-state money into local politics is just wrong. Why not consider this money as income and tax any group or entity (for profit or not for profit) 50% or more of all out of state money received. Then earmark that money to be spent on something worthwhile like schools, etc. If all the businesses across this nation used the money they're spending to buy influence in one form or another on the creation of jobs, our recession would end abruptly and our country would return to prosperity. Arent' we all screwed up???
Posted by: bellefontegirl47 | September 21, 2010 11:25 AM
There is no American dream in Maryland anymore Carole.
Maryland has been rated the 5th worse state for retirement based on crime stats and it's high taxes. Yet another testimonial to the success of the Axis-MOM, Miller and Busch destroying the middle class in Maryland to prop up the Democratic party in Annapolis..
Posted by: john | September 21, 2010 11:36 AM
Those with above average intelligence realize that O'Malley has no success to claim. Let's face Erhlich did what had to be done to bring us solvent with the least amount of difficulty. Sure O'M wants to do things that appeal to the "Boomers", poor, criminal and wealthy liberals. He engages in negative campaigns which disgust me. The first two things he did was give Convicts the right to vote and severely cut Bay funding (in assumption the DEM congress would support). His predecessor, Erlhich, was able to deal with these things without hurting the middle class and get us solvent in a worse budget crisis.
I am torn, Erhlich wants to cut taxes, O'M wants mass transit for Baltimore. What will better deal with the 1M new residents expected in MD? Nothing until we draw a line and reduce taxes in Baltimore City.
In theory both for should be for smart growth with out penalizing them. Still both do.
Neither are right fror the moment.
Posted by: Dunn | September 21, 2010 2:02 PM
Dunn:
When did O'Malley give convicts the right to vote? Convict is defined as someone currently in prison. Maryland law, even after the recent change, does not allow convicts to vote.
Posted by: unrest | September 21, 2010 9:01 PM
Martin O'Malley is Vice Chair of the DGA and was formerly the Finance Chair of the DGA so I expect the DGA run by Paris Glendenning's son will soon step to bat too.
Imagine that, Glendenning makes a run of sorts again at Maryland.
O'Malley-tax hikes
Ehrlich-spending reductions
About sums it up.
Posted by: Sardines | September 21, 2010 10:36 PM
Unrest,
I beleive that legislation to allow convicts to vote was passed by General Assembly about 2 years ago.
Posted by: Doc070669 | September 22, 2010 7:18 AM