Several of U.S. Rep. Doug Collins' colleagues, including Speaker Paul Ryan, have chipped in to help the Gainesville Republican fend off four primary challengers before voters hit the polls next month.
Federal campaign finance records for the quarter that ended March 31 show Collins’ campaign committee received $5,000 from Prosperity Action, Ryan’s leadership political action committee, or PAC. Separately, the group Ryan for Congress also contributed $2,000 to Collins’ reelection bid.
The aid from his House colleagues didn’t end there.
Collins' campaign received $2,000 last quarter from the leadership PAC of Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader. It also netted contributions from the PACs of other Republicans in the House leadership, including Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Greg Walden of Oregon, who leads the group tasked with keeping and expanding the GOP's majority in the chamber.
The contributions helped Collins achieve his nearly $715,000 fundraising haul in the first quarter. The two-term congressman trumped his Ninth District GOP rivals -- former U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, Collins' most prominent challenger, raised just north of $65,000 in that same period. Mike Scupin and and Roger Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, brought in slightly more than $5,000 a pop.
Such contributions from House colleagues are just one of the many advantages enjoyed by incumbents when it comes to raising money for reelection. Members of Congress, particularly those who are or want to be involved in party leadership, often contribute to their colleagues’ campaigns to help curry favor on Capitol Hill.
Collins kicked off April with nearly $478,000 on hand. Broun, meanwhile, logged $43,453 in the bank. No word on how much of that will be spent on more attack ads.
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