The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has cut its advertising in Florida’s 18th district, the home of a fiercely competitive race between Rep. Allen West (R) and Democrat Patrick Murphy.
The independent expenditure arm of the DCCC had originally reserved about $96,000 in the West Palm Beach media market from Oct. 16-22. That reservation has now been canceled, a Democratic source familiar with the buys told Roll Call today.
The move comes after House Majority PAC, the Democratic-aligned third-party group, boosted its presence in the district from about $1 million to about $1.5 million.
In our unscientific ad-track survey from today, we caught almost no new advertisements that could be classified as positive. Lots of cookie-cutter negative ads are surfacing, slamming the other campaign over Medicare, Congressional pay raises and information that appears culled from opposition research. Grainy footage and clipped out-of-context sound bites are also increasingly common.
All over the country, biographical television spots are giving way to negative attack ads.
The Susan B. Anthony List announced Thursday the initiation of a $150,000 TV ad campaign against President Barack Obama in Ohio. It intends to include in that campaign an ad it previously aired in Missouri, which featured an abortion survivor.
But the ad that caught our attention was a negative spot from Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.).
Here are some of our other favorite ads from today:
Meanwhile, supporters of House Democrats are going negative on West. House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, announced it was increasing its investment in the district to more than $1.5 million. This comes after the news that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was canceling a week of airtime starting Oct. 9.
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) today released a blistering contrast ad against his Democratic opponent, businessman Patrick Murphy. The 30-second spot compares what West and Murphy were both doing on Feb. 16, 2003.
The ad zooms across a satellite map of the United States to southern Florida. “That night, South Beach, Miami: Patrick Murphy is thrown out of a club for fighting, covered in alcohol and unable to stand,” the narrator says. “Murphy then confronts and verbally assaults a police officer.”
Murphy’s mugshot, in which he appears quite discombobulated, appears on screen.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee canceled a week of airtime in Rep. Allen West’s (R-Fla.) district starting Oct. 9, according to multiple sources tracking the buy.
Democrats cite a substantial House Majority PAC buy — $1 million over a few weeks including Oct. 9 — as the reason they pulled their reservation in the West Palm Beach market that week.
But unlike Kissell’s bid, the Florida race remains competitive — at least compared with other Democratic pickup opportunities (Roll Call rates it as Leans Republican). And the DCCC has given no other indication that it’s ready to give up on the race, either. Full story
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s independent expenditure arm on Wednesday is launching its first television ad of the election cycle against firebrand Rep. Allen West (R) in Florida’s newly configured 18th district.
The 30-second spot hews to the standard Democratic line of attack, knocking West for voting in favor of House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which would fundamentally change the way future seniors interact with Medicare. The Wisconsin Republican is GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate.
“I have to say it as it is,” West says in a clip at the beginning of the ad.
“But what’s behind the talk?” a female narrator asks. “Allen West voted for Paul Ryan’s plan that would essentially end Medicare,” she says. “And leave seniors at the mercy of the insurance industry.”
“Behind Allen West’s talk,” the narrator intones at the end of the spot, “a plan that ends Medicare and overwhelmingly benefits the rich.”
Patrick Murphy, the likely Democratic nominee in Florida’s 18th district, raised an impressive $508,000 in the second quarter of 2012 in his bid to unseat outspoken GOP Rep. Allen West. Murphy’s campaign will announce the numbers later today.
The businessman, a former Republican, ended June with just less than $1.3 million in cash on hand. He ended March with just more than $1 million in the bank.
West ended March with more than $3.3 million in cash on hand. He does not appear to have released his second quarter numbers yet. Filings are due to the Federal Election Commission on Sunday.
Roll Call rates the race for Sunshine State’s 18th district as Leans Republican.
A poll released Thursday by Rep. Allen West's Democratic opponent showed the race as a dead heat. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
A poll released Thursday by Congressional candidate Patrick Murphy (D) found him tied with Republican Rep. Allen West 45 percent to 45 percent in a horse-race matchup. Ten percent of the likely voters polled were undecided. Murphy is challenging West in Florida’s newly configured 18th district.
The survey conducted by longtime Florida pollster Keith Frederick found that West, one of the 112th Congress’ most outspoken Members, has 83 percent name recognition in the district. The polling memo released publicly did not include Murphy’s name ID. Both decided to run for the newly-configured seat after redistricting; both were previously running in Florida’s 22nd district.
The survey found presumptive GOP White House nominee Mitt Romney leading President Barack Obama in the district. In a ballot test, Romney led with 49 percent to Obama’s 46 percent. Four percent were undecided.
Businessman Patrick Murphy, the Democrat challenging outspoken Florida Rep. Allen West (R), pulled in $350,000 in the first three months of this year, his campaign said. Murphy ended the quarter with more than a million dollars in the bank.
“I am humbled by the support that I have received from contributors big and small,” he said in a statement. “Our campaign is growing every day, in part because the residents of the 18th district need a leader who is going to be a responsible, reasonable voice. They want someone who can not only get to work, but work together.”
Florida Rep. Allen West (R) said Tuesday that “he’s heard” scores of Democratic Members of Congress are communists, according to the Palm Beach Post and confirmed by West’s campaign to Roll Call.
“I believe there are about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party: It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus,” West said at an event Tuesday, according to a partial YouTube video and his campaign manager, Tim Edson, who was there. West was responding to a question: “What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialists?”
“He stands by his words,” Edson said. But Edson and West’s office clarified what he meant. Full story
Democratic businessman Patrick Murphy, who had been running in Florida’s 22nd district, announced today he would follow in the footsteps of freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) and run in the proposed 18th district.
“Allen West abandoned his constituents to find supposedly safer political ground. Today, our campaign is putting Mr. West on notice: There is no safe district he can run to,” Murphy said in a statement.
“I have spoken to local and national Democratic leaders, as well as local activists and the support for me continuing my campaign against Allen West is overwhelming,” he added. Murphy and former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel were vying for the Democratic nomination to take on West, who recently announced he was running in a district composed of mostly new territory.
In an interview with Roll Call on Tuesday, West was asked about the potential of Murphy following him to the new district.
“That would be a very dangerous thing,” West said. “If he goes back and studies Hannibal, you may not want to follow a very savvy person that just avoided an ambush because obviously they got something that’s waiting for you.” Full story
While you munched on dinner and the Florida primary wrapped up, Roll Call’s politics team continued to sort through year-end fundraising reports that are due by midnight to the Federal Election Commission. Here are our picks for winners, losers and noteworthy filings this evening:
Winners:
CA-30: Rep. Howard Berman (D) crossed the seven-figure mark in the fourth quarter for his bid against Rep. Brad Sherman (D). Berman raised just over $1 million in the last three months of 2011 and now has $2.9 million in the bank. Sherman’s report had not been filed as of late this evening, but he reported $3.7 million in the bank at the end of September. (via @shiratoeplitz) Full story
Rep. Allen West announced today he will run in a Florida district that is expected to be more favorable to the GOP but still leans Democratic. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Updated 8:15 p.m. | The music just stopped in the Sunshine State and everyone still has a seat — at least until voters hit the polls.
After a redistricting map similar to what is likely to become law shifted the political prospects of a number of Members last week, three Florida politicians made big announcements today to shake up the Senate race and three House races.
Rep. Tom Rooney (R), who currently represents the 16th district, announced he would run in the proposed 17th district; freshman Rep. Allen West (R), a fundraising juggernaut who currently represents the 22nd district, announced he would run in the proposed 18th district; and former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner dropped his bid for Senate, a source close to him said, and will run in the state’s proposed 22nd district. All are likely to have a better shot at joining the 113th Congress under their chosen political boundaries. Full story
