Campaign Finance Shocker! Schwartz GOP Foe Raises $50K in Two Weeks
LL seems to have made a serious mistake.
For months, he has been avidly following the candidates lining up to challenge four-term incumbent Carol Schwartz for the non-Democratic at-large seat. He's been spending all his time charting the fundraising endeavors of Adam Clampitt, Dee Hunter, and Michael A. Brown. Just last week, he blew up rumors that Marie Johns might enter the race.
But the true threat to Schwartz' sinecure might be, gasp, a fellow Republican! Patrick Mara, the 33-year-old Columbia Heights resident planning to challenge Schwartz, announced in a press release minutes ago that he's raised just over $50,000 in two weeks of his campaign, with virtually all of it still on hand.
That's an absolutely flabbergasting figure, probably enough to fund an effective direct-mail campaign to every Republican voter in town. It also makes him the best-financed non-Dem at-large candidate.
LL took a quick glance at his June 10 finance report. Some things that caught his eye: Maximum donations from Federal City Council chair Terry Golden and wife Kathleen. Thousands and thousands from downtown parking interests, including Doggett Enterprises, Atlantic Parking, and MarcParc. Max donations from donors affiliated with construction outfits like Miller and Long and MC Dean. Max donations from White House communications aide Tucker Eskew and his wife Lisa.
LL is going to go ahead and call this the big-business backlash that Chamber of Commerce types had been promising ever since the Sick and Safe Leave Bill passed earlier this year.
LL's call to Mara was not immediately returned. There will be massive followup tomorrow!
UPDATE, 8:05 P.M.: OK, how bout massive followup right now:
Mara calls back to say you ain't seen nothin' yet: "August is going to be an even more impressive showing," he promises. Checks from friends and family not sensitive to the publicity demands of a filing deadline failed to get their checks in on time, and Mara plans to throw a major fundraiser later this month at a restaurant TBA.
The Golden donations, he says, came after he started making the business community rounds. Terry Golden, he says, offered advice on his run: "We had a great discussion."
Besides the fundraiser, Mara, as LL speculated, plans to do a mailing by the end of the month. He also says to look for him in this weekend's Capital Pride parade.
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8:18 pm
Great news! It's (well-past) time to send Carol to Rehoboth full-time.
9:18 pm
She is already in Rehoboth full-time.
10:17 pm
That's an impressive haul, but how many of those donators are:
A. DC residents
and
B. Registered Republicans
It seems to me that those moneyed interests don't represent many actual votes. My impression is that Carol's reputation amongst the voting Republicans is still sound. And it would take about 15 minutes and Evite to reach all the registered republicans in this town. So, while it's impressive, I doubt it'll result in a victory.
Besides, I think he would get clobbered in a race against those Democrats-in-Independent's-clothing. I think Schwartz is the only Republican with the name recognition to win that Battle Royale.
Maybe she'll go all Joe Lieberman up in here.
11:32 pm
While the (rather anemic) local GOP party's "leadership" seems to have inexplicably wrapped their arms around Carol, they certainly don't represent most local Republicans with, you know, Republican views. I have several dozen DC GOP friends, and you're horribly mistaken if you think "Carol’s reputation amongst the voting Republicans is still sound." That's far from the truth; she lost most of us long ago. We just haven't had any choice...until now.
And that's nonsense that Mara can't beat Michael Brown, who's gotten clobbered both times he's run, or Clampitt, who's campaign doesn't seem to have gotten off the ground. Newsflash: Name recognition worries are erased by either a) raising significant money to help with paid media or b) getting major earned media attention. Mara seems well on the way to (a), and if he beats Carol, he'll easily garner (b).
12:01 pm
"Michael Brown, who’s gotten clobbered both times he’s run"
Yes, but he was clobbered by other Democrats running for a Democratic spot. In this race, all he would need to do is basically get people to remember that he's really a Democrat, despite his registration, and then he's got 80% of the population naturally inclined towards him.
Frankly, I'm surprised nobody thought of this idea sooner. There's nothing stopping a Democratic candidate from just deregistering and going around telling people that he's still basically a democrat, and isn't it better to be virtually a democrat than to be actually a republican? In this town, I'd say that's a clear yes.
Marie Johns would probably mop the floor with either Schwartz or Mara.
12:30 pm
The biggest thing the independents need is to let people know that they have two votes in the November at-large race. Most people only use one (to vote for the Democrat), so if more of those people realize they're wasting a vote that could go to a Democrat-running-as-independent the Republican could be in trouble.
4:45 pm
In this race it is going to be everyone against everyone in the general election. Clampett does not appeaer as a candidate on the DCBOEE website so he must not have picked up his petitions and there is also the factor that votes will be being pulled from Kwame Brown as well. I have never seen him in my neighborhood, ever. While not a Republican, I can see that if Scwartz loses the primary that it is very likely that there will be no Republican on the Council--just an "independent democrat"-which seems to violate the spirit of the Home Rule Law and whatever Catania is, I think independent also.
10:40 pm
I was at the Capital Pride parade today volunteering my time helping out with the parade. I saw Carol. And I saw Patrick.
I walked by and smiled at Carol. She continued talking to her "people". I walked by and smiled and Patrick. He came over and said "Hi, I'm Patrick Mara, and I'd like to have your vote."
So while Carol was busy talking, Patrick earned a vote. And I will tell me friends.
2:52 pm
It is time for Carol to go anyway, she is desensitized!!!!!
10:42 pm
Many registered Republicans in DC feel that Carol is not conservative enough; however, most realize that she is about the only Republican that would be acceptable to the Democrats and Independents who make up 90% of the electorate in the District. Many of the newbies in DC don't know that for many years Carol was the lone voice in the Council for fiscal responsibility.