GOP Leaders Hit the Recess Money Trail
House GOP leaders are using the two-week spring recess to hit the road and fundraise for some of their top candidates and vulnerable incumbents in tough races, as well as to pad the National Republican Congressional Committee’s coffers.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) spent most of the first week of recess in California, where he headlined fundraisers for Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Ken Calvert. Boehner also raised money for the NRCC, with fundraisers headlined by Reps. Devin Nunes, Duncan Hunter and Ed Royce in San Diego, Fresno and San Francisco.
NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) hosted a fundraiser for one of the candidates first endorsed by the committee this cycle, Iraq War veteran Adam Kinzinger (R), who is running against freshman Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.). He also did an event for state Sen. Randy Hultgren (R), who is running against Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.). Sessions also paid a visit to St. Louis to host a fundraiser for the NRCC, which had $6.1 million in the bank at the end of February.
NRCC Recruitment Chairman Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) held fundraisers for many challenger and open-seat candidates over the recess, including Kinzinger, Hultgren, businessman Bob Dold in Illinois’ 10th district, surgeon Larry Bucshon in Indiana’s 8th district, former Rep. Steve Chabot in Ohio’s 1st district, former state Sen. Steve Stivers in Ohio’s 15th district, former U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan in Pennsylvania’s 7th district, former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s 8th district and former Eagles football player Jon Runyan in New Jersey’s 3rd district. Also while in southeastern Pennsylvania, McCarthy was scheduled to host a fundraiser for Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), who is in a competitive race for re-election.
Additionally, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) held a fundraiser in Tennessee’s 8th district for farmer Stephen Fincher (R), and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) made a stop to raise money for former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin (R) in Arkansas’ 2nd district.