What about that DNC commitment to Deeds?
Is the Democratic National Committee holding on to the $5 million it has committed to the Creigh Deeds gubernatorial campaign out of concern for the campaign’s direction? The short answer to that is no, looking at campaign-finance records.
The DNC has contributed $1.225 million toward the $5 million it committed to the Deeds campaign last month, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
The cash came in three installments – $500,000 each on June 30 and Aug. 18 and $225,000 on Aug. 26.
So what about the remaining $3.775 million that is on the hook for the final four-plus weeks of campaigning? The AFP reported on Wednesday that the DNC has been balking at releasing committed funds to the Deeds campaign because of internal dissension over the approach of the Deeds campaign in the wake of news reports on the controversial 1989 grad-school thesis of Republican nominee Bob McDonnell that gave the Deeds effort a significant shot in the arm in the polls.
The story circulating in Democratic circles this week has top state and national party leaders at odds with Deeds strategists over what the campaign needs to do to pivot from the thesis to putting in front of voters a message as to why voters should pull the lever for Deeds.
I was able to ask DNC chair Tim Kaine about this Thursday afternoon in Staunton after the Virginia governor rolled out a new program promoting energy efficiency at a Lowe’s superstore. Specifically, I asked if there was anything to the talk about friction between the DNC and the Deeds campaign.
“Nope, nope, we made a sizable commitment. We knew we were going to make a big commitment. We made a $5 million commitment in late August, and we’re on track to meet it, and that’s the dollars. But more than that is kind of expertise and work and time. And we’re putting all of that in,” Kaine said.
A Deeds campaign spokesman later Thursday categorically denied the reports that there was any friction between the campaign and the DNC.
In addition to the monies already contributed to the Deeds campaign from the DNC, the Democratic Governors Association has also come through with $1 million to date for the Deeds campaign, including a $250,000 contribution reported by the Virginia Public Access Project on Wednesday.
The McDonnell campaign is also looking for the bulk of the $7 million committed to it by the Republican National Committee. According to VPAP, the RNC has to date contributed $1.95 million to the McDonnell campaign, leaving it with $5.05 million to go to fulfill its commitment.
- Story by Chris Graham
Related posts:
- Rasmussen: McDonnell 51, Deeds 42 A new poll from Rasmussen Reports has Bob McDonnell reopening a healthy lead over Creigh Deeds in the Virginia governor’s race. The Rasmussen poll has...
- McDonnell leads Deeds in poll Bob McDonnell is on the air in early summer, Creigh Deeds is where he’s supposed to be in the silent phase of the general-election campaign....
- Deeds to deliver major campaign address on web Sen. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor, will deliver a major campaign address at 11 a.m. Friday to supporters and students at George Mason...
- Poll: McDonnell leads Deeds by three Republican Bob McDonnell has a three-point lead on Democrat Creigh Deeds in the 2009 Virginia governor’s race, according to a poll out today from Rasmussen...
- Deeds statement signals … something The Creigh Deeds campaign is reading something. That I think is clear with the slight shift in strategy signaled in the closing statement that Deeds...
So the DNC has a pretty big carrot out there. Somebody thought they might use it to stick Deeds into going a better direction.
Did you hear bad information or a wake-up call to the Deeds campaign?
I still don’t think I heard bad information. Maybe a wakeup call.
The alarm bells were pretty loud. Everybody heard them.
Remember a few weeks ago when you wondered when the Deeds’ team would contact you? Bet they keep you in the loop the next 33 days.
Hope they do a better job of that than the Kaine people did treating the NV today. I understand that the NV is awfully, awfully harsh on Kaine and all Democrats, really. But that said, you keep folks like that inside arm’s length. You certainly don’t push them away. And that’s what I saw today. I’ve known Bob Stuart for 12 years. I’ve never seen him that upset. I can only imagine that will come through in his story on today’s Kaine visit.
Wonder if this story gets the same attention that the blurb got yesterday? My hope: yes. My guess: no.
$5 million catches your attention. Political staffers acting badly to someone, is that even news?
Sorry, my ADD had me jumping around. When I asked, wonder if this story gets the same attention as the one yesterday, I was thinking the story that I wrote today on the funding issue. Not the one about Bob Stuart getting treated badly.
Nothing matters tomorrow except the Olympics announcement in Copenhagen.