LCV spends another $250K, closes in on record election spending

The League of Conservation Voters on Monday announced $250,000 in ad buys hitting Republicans in key House races in Michigan and North Carolina.
 
The ad buys raise the independent expenditures from LCV this election cycle to more than $3 million, or nearly double the $1.7 million the group spent on such expenditures in the 2006 midterm elections.
 
With still two weeks left until the Nov. 2 election, LCV is quickly closing in on the roughly $3.3 million it spent on independent expenditures in 2008. The group has also contributed or raised more than $1 million so far to support their favored candidates, an increase over the approximately $850,000 and $600,000 that the group raised or contributed in the 2008 and 2006 election cycles, respectively.

LCV — partnering with the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund — released a $200,000 TV ad buy against Republican Jeff Miller, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler in North Carolina’s 11th district. The ad complains of funding Miller has received from oil companies and others.
 
The ad against Miller will be running in the Greenville-Spartanburg and Chattanooga media markets, including a TV station in Asheville, N.C.
 
Many political pundits view the race as either a toss up or leaning toward Shuler’s favor. A recent poll commissioned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had Shuler leading Miller by 13 points, 54 to 41 percent.
 
LCV on Monday also made a $50,000 radio ad buy opposing former GOP Rep. Tim Walberg’s bid to claim his old seat from freshman Democratic Rep. Mark Schauer in Michigan’s 7th district. Schauer beat Walberg two years ago. LCV is also cosponsoring that ad with the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund.
 
The Hill’s recent midterm election poll showed Schauer and Walberg deadlocked at 41 percent, with 13 percent of voters undecided.
 
The two ad buys are the latest effort by environmental groups to try to save Democrats who voted in favor of last year's House cap-and-trade bill in the face of a wave of criticism from Tea Party and other Republican candidates. The Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund released a survey Monday to try to further the argument that voters want candidates who support such climate and energy measures.
 
The ad buys also come on top of LCV’s reporting Sunday that the group has spent at least a combined $555,000 in recent days on Schauer’s and two other House races in Ohio and Nevada, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
 
That includes $250,000 on TV ads supporting Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) and $200,000 on a TV ad for Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.).
 
LCV Sunday also reported $100,000 for a field program the group is running with the BlueGreen Alliance and another $5,000 to BlueGreen Alliance for a TV ad campaign to help Schauer. LCV in the last week also reported and spent $150,000 on a TV ad for Schauer.
 
The group last week spent nearly $37,000 on a TV ad buy for Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.).
 
The efforts are not just limited at trying to keep Republicans from taking over the House. LCV Thursday spent $225,000 spent on a TV ad buy and $60,000 over two days late last week for a direct mail campaign to help Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
 
The group Wednesday also spent $250,000 on a TV ad buy with Vote Vets Action Fund and more than $21,000 for field work to help Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak’s fight to succeed the seat of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.).
 
Many of the group’s ads can be found on its web site.

LCV is clearly the most aggressive green group on the campaign trail.

The Defenders of Wildlife is likely going to come in second at around $1 million in direct spending on campaigns, though that will likely fall short of what the group spent in 2008 and 2006.

The group had “charismatic causes” during those two election cycles, namely to defeat then-House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) in 2006 and Republican vice presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin two years later, Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen said.

“We don’t have as charismatic a cause this time,” Schlickeisen said.

Pombo this year tried to run for reelection, this time in a safer Republican district held by retiring Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.). But he came in third in the Republican primary.

Defenders has been helping the man who beat Pombo four years ago – Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) – who is one of the most endangered House Democratic incumbents. They have also spent money in two New Mexico House races – including one featuring former GOP Rep. Steve Pearce, who was one of Pombo’s chief allies on the Resources panel. 

The group may also target some funds to help Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a senior Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee who is facing an unexpectedly tight race. His troubles though mainly stem from his call for an economic boycott of his state after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest immigration enforcement law and amid a housing crisis and record unemployment.