Will Money Be Enough Against a New Hampshaire ‘Dynasty’?
FECKEENE2
The Keene Sentinel
Lauren Katims
Boston University Washington News Service
11-2-06
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 — In the final days before the election, Democratic challenger Paul Hodes may have raised more money than Republican Rep. Charles Bass, but he is competing against something bigger than a campaign treasury: He is challenging a political dynasty.
The name Bass goes back more than 100 years, noted Rep. Charles Weed (D- Cheshire County), a politics professor at Keene State College.
People are not “political junkies,” he said, so they do not always look at the voting record; they look at the name. And in this case, Bass is the name that comes to mind.
Nevertheless, said Massie Ritsch, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit, non-partisan group in Washington that tracks political contributions, Hodes can be considered a “serious” candidate because he passed the $1 million threshold in money raised for his campaign.
According to the latest Federal Election Commission filings, Hodes had raised more money than Bass, which is uncommon for a challenger.
Through Oct. 18, Hodes raised $1,246,059 and Bass $1,001,629. But Bass had $331,796 left in his campaign kitty and Hodes had only $56,288 to spend, according to the filings.
Weed said the money left in the bank doesn’t matter at this point.
“Hodes has gotten the message out,” he said. “I’m not sure there’s an awful lot to do in the last three weeks that hasn’t already been done.”
Ritsch says that at this point, voters have made up their minds and the opponents should be focusing on getting their supporters to the polls. And even though Bass’ leftover money can be used for advertising, gathering support is not something you can buy, he added.
So, the question remains: will money be enough to win this election?
Judging by the amount of money he has raised, Hodes has a good chance of winning, Ritsch said.
Dana Houle, Hodes’ campaign manager, said the Bass family name is not hurting the challenger’s campaign.
Bass, who defeated Hodes by 58-38 percent in 2004, is the son of a former Rep. Perkins Bass, who served from 1955 to 1963, and the grandson of Robert Bass, who was elected governor in 1910.
“People want someone in Congress who is going to hold the president accountable,” Houle said. It does not matter how important someone’s grandfather or father was, he said, Bass is not doing an adequate job.
Lindsay Jackson, spokeswoman for Bass’s campaign, said that although the Bass family has a “strong political tradition, working hard for the people of New Hampshire,” the incumbent has established his own name. “He’s running on Charlie Bass,” she said.
Bass always pushes his moderate stance around election time, making him appealing to the masses, Weed said, especially in a time when there is such a negative attitude toward the Bush administration.
For now, the race could go either way, according to the Cook Political Report, a non-partisan analysis of electoral politics.
This is a good time for Democrats, Weed said, and Hodes has a good chance.
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