Top GOP fundraiser signals fight for seats

The Washington Times ^ | 6/13/08 | Ralph Z. Hallow

[Dawnsblood]

Mr. Ensign dismissed reports that contributions to the Republicans by disgruntled small donors are down this year. He maintained the party's contributor base is intact. The Republican Party long has boasted that it is the party of small donors while the Democratic Party has had to rely far more on wealthy contributors to finance election campaigns.

He said the Republican Party never suffered a loss in small donors, only a shrinkage in the net amount of money raised - a decline that he said was not the result of small donors being disgusted with excessive Republican spending in Congress but of the party having been mailing "bad" lists that had driven up fundraising costs. That problem has been eliminated, he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, sees 2008 as a tough year for Republican candidates. "If you have an 'R' in front of your name, you better run scared."

Senate Republicans must defend 23 seats this year compared to 12 for Democrats.

Mr. Ensign said soaring gasoline prices offer a "huge opportunity" for Republicans who will argue that the Democrats have been blocking domestic production of oil from Alaska, from deep-water drilling off the U.S. continental shelf, and from gargantuan shale oil reserves.

He said his party must keep the Senate as a firewall to stop costly legislation that he predicted Democrats will try to enact if Sen. Barack Obama gains the White House and his party boosts its current 236-199 majority in the House.

Mr. Ensign said the 10 most competitive Senate races are in Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia - all but Louisiana now being Republican seats.

[KevinJohnson]

“Mr. Ensign said soaring gasoline prices offer a “huge opportunity” for Republicans who will argue that the Democrats have been blocking domestic production of oil from Alaska, from deep-water drilling off the U.S. continental shelf, and from gargantuan shale oil reserves”

Tell that to John McCain. He still don't know that.