Simmons Once Again in a Race for His Party
By Sara Hatch
WASHINGTON, March 2-Republican Rep. Robert Simmons will once again face a tough race in the second congressional district, going up against Democratic candidate Joe Courtney, a former state representative. For both candidates 2005 was a good year for raising money. Courtney raised $531,714 and Simmons received contributions of $1.1 million, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
But even with twice as much money raised, it will not be an easy race for Simmons. Both Stuart Rothenberg, the editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, and Charlie Cook, who publishes the Cook Political Report, have classified the second district as a competitive race.
Rothenberg said in an interview Tuesday that the race will be about money and “localizing the contest.” He added that “the great risk to [Simmons] is that a sizeable partisan Democratic wave is developing across the country and that it will simply hit the beaches of Connecticut too and he’ll be swept out.”
Rothenberg said that Simmons is a “good campaigner” and is getting money from other Republicans who know that Simmons is “vulnerable, so members are writing checks to him.”
“They know.if there are 10 or 12 Republican incumbents who are most vulnerable, he’s one of them,” Rothenberg said. “So it’s not surprising if he’s getting checks from John Boehner and Roy Blunt and Eric Cantor or whomever. He’s going to be one of the guys where senior Republicans, House Republicans who want to hold control of the body and want to hold their chairmanships.he’s one of the first places they’re going to look.”
As of Dec. 31, 2005, Simmons received $179,436 from so-called leadership political action committees, including $46,000 from current and former House leaders, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes federal election campaign data. He is a recipient of money from Retain Our Majority Program, which was started by Tom DeLay to help funnel money to candidates in extremely competitive districts. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ed Patru said that Simmons has been a recipient of money from the program in all of his races.
Patru said that Simmons’ campaign is one that will be closely watched by the Republicans but that Simmons is strong enough in the district to win.
“Rob Simmons biannually runs in a very, very competitive district,” Patru said, commenting on why Simmons has continually received Republican funds. “This is on paper a Democrat district.. He runs very strong campaigns and part of running a strong campaign means being well-funded, having the resources to be able to respond to your opponent’s attacks.”
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Jen Psaki said Simmons’ image in the district will pose the largest problem.
“You have Washington, D.C., Rob Simmons versus Connecticut Rob Simmons, and they’re two different guys,” Psaki said, and his inconsistencies and what she described as his “flip-flops” will hurt him in the fall.
Pskai added that Joe Courtney has run a good campaign and that “he had a very strong fundraising quarter and year last year.”
According to data obtained from PoliticalMoneyLine, Simmons received 16 percent of his campaign funds last year from political leadership PACs, an increase from his 12 percent share in the 2004 election cycle.
Courtney already has received support from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., who donated $5,000. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., also donated $5,000, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., donated $2,000 from her leadership PAC.
Simmons received 51 percent of his money last year from PACs. By contrast, Courtney received 75 percent of his donations from individual contributors. Courtney received only $36,000 from organized labor to Simmons’ $74,000, but Rothenberg said that this is probably just early money and that these figures will balance later in the election cycle.
Simmons finished the year with $803,370 cash on hand and Courtney had $450,893 cash on hand, according to the filings with the Federal Election Commission.
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