Over the weekend, this FlashReport commentary evoked quite a bit of controversy and response. After an in-depth analysis of the RNC’s fundraising numbers, the FlashReport revealed that the RNC has been performing a "cashectomy" on California Republicans. In 2006, the RNC gave California just $204,101 out of the $37.5 million spent by the RNC in state party support. California ’s share was less than ½ of 1% of the RNC’s total state support, while Golden State donors gave over $12.9 million to the RNC.
Apparently there are some that dispute my research, saying that California received over $6.25 million in 2006. In order to make this true, one would have to look not at the RNC, but to the National Republican Congressional Committee, a separate organization.
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty, let me first offer this disclaimer. McCain-Feingold’s draconian campaign finance restrictions make it much harder for political parties to coordinate expenditures. It would be illegal for the RNC to transfer funds and specifically earmark those funds for a particular race or state. Because of campaign finance laws, each national committee operates more independently today than it did ten years ago. The NRSC or National Republican Senatorial Committee focuses on US Senate races. The NRCC focuses on US House races.
The NRSC, NRCC & RNC are all separate entities with different leadership teams and fundraising arms. For example, less than 10% of the NRCC’s budget came from national committee transfers. Each committee must develop its own fundraising strategy and expenditure plan.
For these reasons, it is wrong to conflate the NRCC spending money in California with the RNC spending money in California . This number floating around of $6.25 million includes the total amount of money spent in California by every Republican national organization. The NRCC alone spent over $5.2 million in defense of Congressman Pombo and Bilbray. It’s disingenuous for the RNC to claim credit for the NRCC’s work.
California’s Republican Congressmen deserve much of the credit for the NRCC’s successes. In 2006, California’s Republican Congressional delegation gave over $4.2 million to the NRCC. Congressman Ed Royce gave over $440,000; Dana Rohrabacher gave $160,000; and Buck McKeon gave $420,000 to the NRCC.
Check out the NRCC’s own website, which explains that the vast majority of its funding comes from individual donors. Over 90% of the NRCC’s funding came from individual donors like you and me, Republican members of Congress and PACS. California ’s individual donors sent $9.5 million directly to the NRCC in 2006 and over $4.6 million to the NRSC. Those contributions are in addition to and separate from the $12.9 million that California donors gave to the RNC.
We reviewed the FEC’s “2006 Election Cycle Party Financial Summary” to find out how much the national committees took into their coffers. The total amount: $522,348,811. California ’s share: $6.25 million. Once again, if we put that number into percentage terms, it equates to roughly 1.2% of the total national Republican committee pie.
California, the number one donor state to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and National Republican Senatorial Committee, gets back just a fraction (1.2%) of what we give.
This just doesn’t seem right to me. Does it seem right to you?
I should add, by the way, that as I share this information in the midst of a heated race for Republican National Committeeman, it is unclear to me whether any one RNC member, unless perhaps they were the Chairman of the Committee without a Republican in the White House, could substantively change this dismal record. But the first step is for everyone to acknowledge that it IS dismal, and that something needs to be done about it.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Thanks so much MCCAIN-Feingold.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I think Tim Morgan’s pitch last night at the OC GOP Central Committee was horrible. It was the wrong pitch at the wrong time. The RNC os obviously the problem. To claim otherwise like Mr. Morgan did was foolish. Jon is right. California donors gave over $12 million to the RNC and we got squat in return. If he has so much influence at the RNC, why hasn’t it translated over into dollars for helping us build our party? Those are just my thoughts as an outside observer.