Sad Headline: Republicans Start To Pull Plug On Members

The DCCC and NRCC both have decisions to make about NY-27

It must be horrible for Paul Ryan and NRCC chair Steve Stivers to have to tell colleagues that their reelection efforts are hopeless and that the GOP can't flush any more money down the drain trying to rescue them. It's horrible. I mean, they all deserve all the worst, but it's horrible. I'm a progressive; I have empathy. Melanie Zanona reported on Republican congressional triage yesterday for The Hill. As we reported Sunday, Keith Rothfus has been told, his seat is going to Democrat Conor Lamb and the GOP isn't wasting any more money on him.

It’s grim news for Rothfus, who has largely been seen as a dead man walking since redistricting left him with a Democratic-leaning district and a difficult opponent in Lamb.

For the GOP, it’s likely a sign of things to come as the party seeks to target its money toward the races most likely to save its majority. Democrats need 23 seats to take back control of the House, and the GOP is defending dozens of seats that are seen as vulnerable.

...Besides Rothfus, the GOP incumbents who are locked in competitive races tilted in Democrats’ favor include Reps. Barbara Comstock (VA), Erik Paulsen (MN), Jason Lewis (MN) and Rod Blum (IA), according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

“Any time you cut bait, especially on a member of Congress, it’s a hard decision-- but one that has to be made,” the former staffer added. “It’s always a stab in the back whenever that happens to a campaign.”

The DCCC is deciding whether to pull out of races where they feel confident and whether they should start funneling resources to districts that could now be in play, like the districts of indicted Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Chris Collins  (R-NY).

This week the Buffalo News reported that Steve Stivers announced that Collins shouldn't expect any financial help from the NRCC. Jerry Zremski wrote that Stivers "didn't sound particularly thrilled with Collins' decision last week to reverse himself and run again in New York's 27th congressional district... 'I don't plan to spend a thing in that race.'... Collins faces a spirited but underfunded challenge from Democrat Nathan McMurray, the Grand Island town supervisor. There's also a Reform Party candidate in the race: West Seneca businessman Larry Piegza, who has been pledging allegiance to President Trump and who could siphon votes from Collins."

McMurray: "Wow. The National Republican Party is running away from Chris Collins. Every day I find more and more voters in NY-27 who are doing the same."

Federal prosecutors in New York charged Collins on Aug. 8 with fraud, conspiracy and lying to a federal agent. Prosecutors say Collins, his son Cameron and Cameron's prospective father-in-law engaged in an insider trading scheme to dump stock in an obscure Australian biotech company based on inside information the congressman got from the firm's CEO. Collins has maintained that he is innocent, as have Cameron Collins and the prospective father-in-law, Stephen Zarsky of New Jersey.

Collins dropped out of his race for re-election on Aug. 11, and Republican leaders in the district then hoped to replace him on the ballot with another candidate.

But Collins' lawyers objected, saying they saw no way to remove him from the ballot, prompting the third-term Republican congressman to resume campaigning.

Stivers said the Clarence Republican still has some political strengths despite the indictment.

"I think he has a record to run on," Stivers said. "I think he's good for his district, I think he has a relationship with his voters and he think he'll win that race."

I asked Nate McMurray about Stivers' assertion. He told me that "the record Mr. Collins can run on-- aside from his arrest record-- is voting nearly 50 times to take healthcare away from people who live here. The New York State Alliance Of Retired Persons gave him a zero rating-- ZERO-- for failure to do anything to protect Social Security and Medicare. His record is abysmal." Although the New York State establishment backed Hillary to the hilt in 2016, Bernie crushed her in the NY-27 primary, Nate being part of the majority with most of his neighbors. Anyway, you see that thermometer on the right, right? It's the Blue America Medicare-For-All thermometer. Nate is campaigning on Medicare-For-All-- it's one of his top issues-- and he's eager to sign on as a co-sponsor to the legislation once he gets sworn in in January. Please consider giving his very grassroots campaign a hand with a contribution if you can by clicking on the thermometer.