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DEL.ICIO.USCatching up: In the brewing 10th District race, the GOP challenger has an unusual advantage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This presidential primary has caused us to neglect some of the nuts-and-bolts of the Georgia political scene.
That includes the brewing internal Republican fight between incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Broun of Athens and his primary challenger, Barry Fleming of Harlem, who is now the House minority whip.
Both have filed their reports to the Federal Election Commission. Broun’s can be found here, and Fleming’s report is here.
Bottom line, the challenger in the 10th District congressional race has an unusual financial advantage. Fleming is reporting $488,129.88 in cash on hand, as of Jan. 30, compared to Broun’s $125,290.
For the math-challenged, that’s nearly a four-to-one advantage.
Moreover, Broun is still carrying a debt from his special election campaign of $272,079.
But Broun is still the incumbent, and that means a lot in Washington, especially to political action committees. Broun lists $387,390 contributions from individuals, and $84,366 from PACs.
Among the latter: $1,000 from a group called Government Is Not God; $1,000 from the Committee for the Advancement of Cotton; nearly $6,000 from the NRA Political Victory Fund; and $5,000 from the Realtors PAC.
Individual contributions to Broun reflect the fact that the struggle for this district is largely geographic — a fight for dominance between Athens (Broun’s home) and Augusta (Fleming’s neighborhood).
But donors also include former congressman Bob Bar, who gave $5,000. Broun, like Barr before him, has been a different kind of Republican.
And it’s clear that Broun’s Republican colleagues from Georgia are steering clear of the contest. U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah is the only Georgia congressman contributing to Broun — and that’s an in-kind contribution.
Fleming’s contribution list, on the other hand, reads like a directory for the state House of Representatives. Fleming reports 55 donations from current and former Republican members of the Georgia House, totaling $50,500.
Donors include House Speaker Glenn Richardson. Most House members gave $1,000.
Comments
By AugustaGOP
February 7, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Representative Flemming needs to know that big brother state governments don’t choose our Congressmen, the people do. He will find this out on Election Day.
By Jennifer
February 8, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
While the AJC seems to conveniently forget it every race, it bears reminding people that there IS a Democrat in this race - Bobby Saxon. And while we don’t believe the amount of money you can raise from special interests is what qualifies a person to serve in the U.S. Congress, Bobby has been out it the district meeting voters every day. You can check out more about him on his website: www.bobbysaxon.com
By GOP Tertium Quid
February 8, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
Representative Fleming and his small knot of supporters need to remember that money is not always the most important factor. If there are any within the 10th District GOP who want to dispute that point, they may wish to keep in mind the instructive examples of Jim Whitehead and Roy Barnes. The great poobahs of the state GOP would do well this time around to abandon the “Shut your yap, fork over your money, and vote the way we tell you” strategy for driving Paul Broun from office because there are plenty of us on the ground in the 10th who are ready to pull the lever (or punch the button) again for Broun.
By GOP Tertium Quid
February 8, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
Representative Fleming and his small knot of supporters need to remember that money is not always the most important factor. If there are any within the 10th District GOP who want to dispute that point, they may wish to keep in mind the instructive examples of Jim Whitehead and Roy Barnes. The great poobahs of the state GOP would do well this time around to abandon the “Shut your yap, fork over your money, and vote the way we tell you” strategy for driving Paul Broun from office because there are plenty of us on the ground in the 10th who are ready to pull the lever (or punch the button) again for Broun.