Q1 Fundraising: Bass Falls Further Behind Kuster

2nd District Congressman Charlie Bass fell further behind challenger Ann Kuster in fundraising last quarter. Bass came up $83,000 short, raising $269,000 for the quarter to Kuster’s $352,000. Bass reported having $790,00 cash on hand at the end of the quarter, well shy of Kuster’s $1,032,000.

Nearly two-thirds of Bass’ contributions ($174,000) came from political action committees. Corporate PACs that have now donated the maximum $10,000 for the 2012 election cycle include Alston & Bird, Altria Group, AT&T, California Dairies, Consumer Electronics Associates, Corning, Deloitte, DirecTV Group, Fluor Corporation, International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, United Technologies, Verizon and Wellpoint.

58% of Bass’ itemized contributions from individuals were from New Hampshire residents, including $5,000 from former governor Craig Benson. Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s leadership PAC also kicked in another $5,000 this quarter.

Itemized Contributions (NH) . . . . . . . . . . . $   52,160
Itemized Contributions (Outside NH) . . . . . . . $   38,150
Non-Itemized Contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . $    4,273
Political Committees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $  174,151
Candidate Contribution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . $        0
Candidate Loan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $        0
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $  268,734
Cash On Hand  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $  790,416

Q1 Fundraising: Shea-Porter Trails Guinta

Former Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter raised over $101,000 in campaign contributions for the first quarter of 2012, nearly $80,000 shy of the total raised by Congressman Frank Guinta.

Shea-Porter, who refuses to accept corporate PAC money, essentially matched Guinta in individual contributions but came up well short in donations from political action committees.

With the departure of primary rival Joanne Dowdell, Shea-Porter now has a clear path to the Democratic nomination, but faces a decided financial disadvantage in her rematch with Guinta. Shea-Porter reported having $183,159 cash on hand at the end of the quarter compared to Guinta’s $674,747.

Itemized Contributions (NH) . . . . . . . . . . . $  31,115
Itemized Contributions (Outside NH) . . . . . . . $  24,353
Non-Itemized Contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . $  24,821
Political Committees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $  21,000
Candidate Contribution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . $       0
Candidate Loan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $       0
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 101,289
Cash On Hand  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 183,159

Q1 Fundraising: Kuster Juggernaut Continues

2nd District Congressional candidate Ann Kuster’s fundraising juggernaut continued last quarter, when she raised over $352,000 in campaign contributions. Kuster reported having over $1 million in cash on hand at the end of the quarter for her likely rematch with Congressman Charlie Bass.

76% of Kuster’s contributions ($267,291) came from individuals. Contributions from New Hampshire residents made up 58% of her itemized individual contributions ($105,874). Kuster raised $84,778 from political action committees.

Itemized Contributions (NH) . . . . . . . . . . . $   105,874
Itemized Contributions (Outside NH) . . . . . . . $    77,634
Non-Itemized Contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . $    83,783
Political Committees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $    84,778
Candidate Contribution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . $         0
Candidate Loan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $         0
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $   352,069
Cash On Hand  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 1,031,569

Q1 Fundraising: Guinta Raises Over $180,000

Congressman Frank Guinta raised over $180,000 in campaign contributions for the first quarter of 2012, $50,000 more than he raised last quarter. He reported having $674,747 cash on hand at the end of the quarter for his likely rematch with Democrat Carol Shea-Porter.

$77,741, 43% of his total, came from political action committees. $17,750 of that was from insurance industry PACs, perhaps as a reward for his vote to eliminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Guinta’s lucrative Turkish connection continued to pay off. Guinta received $9,000 in contributions from the Turkish Coalition USA PAC and three defense contractors with Turkish interests. Other well known PACs contributing to Guinta this quarter included the National Rifle Association, the infamous KOCHPAC, and Kelly Ayotte’s leadership PAC.

70% of Guinta’s $95,732 in itemized individual contributions came from New Hampshire residents.

Itemized Contributions (NH) . . . . . . . . . . . $  62,600
Itemized Contributions (Outside NH) . . . . . . . $  33,132
Non-Itemized Contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . $   6,860
Political Committees  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $  77,741
Candidate Contribution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . $       0
Candidate Loan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $       0
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 180,333
Cash On Hand  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 674,747

In Which Kelly Ayotte Gets Owned by Mika Brzezinski

This morning, Sen. Kelly Ayotte was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to answer the question, “Does Mitt Romney have a woman problem?” She said he doesn’t and that women voters will support Romney because of, among other things, high gas prices.

Newsweek/Daily Beast editor-in-chief Tina Brown and co-host Mika Brzezinski pushed her to acknowledge reality, but Ayotte kept coming back to high gas prices — so Brzezinski asked about the oil subsidies that Congress refuses to eliminate despite record profits by Big Oil. Hilarity ensues.

Ayotte: I personally would like to see us eliminate all subsidies on those issues. Let’s make it an even playing field.

Brzezinski: So how did you vote on that?

Ayotte: I voted against it…

Brzezinski: Republicans say it’s such a bad time to get rid of the subsidies for big oil who have made, I don’t know, $80 billion in profits and are making even more profits this year and the next quarter. Most of those Republicans who voted that down received a lot of their campaign help from the oil companies. I’m sure you have. Am I wrong?

Ayotte: [Blah, blah, blah]

Brzezinski: I asked a question…

Ayotte: [Blah, blah, blah]

Brzezinski: So you’re not going to answer my question?

Ayote never did answer the question. The Center for Responsive Politics reports Ayotte has raised over $142,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. You can watch the full video here.

Plan Your Weekend Getaway with Sen. Kelly Ayotte

Looking to spend a little quality time with your U.S. Senator? How about a weekend getaway? Be forewarned, she doesn’t come cheap.

Cough up $1500 and you can join Sen. Kelly Ayotte in August for a “Universal Studios Weekend” at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, Florida. If you who prefer something a little more sedate, you may want to wait for the “New Hampshire Weekend” at the Omni Mount Washington in Bretton Woods. It’s the last weekend in September and should be peak leaf peeping season.

If you’re representing a political action committee, you’ll have to kick in another grand for your outing with the Senator.

Guilty, Unethical, Is Not Telling All PAC

As Pindell first reported, Congressman Frank Guinta has filed documents with the Federal Election Commission to form a leadership political action committee.

The PAC will allow Guinta to raise additional campaign contributions from individuals and lobbyists. Leadership PAC funds are then generally funneled to other candidates and organizations to win friends and influence people.

The Center for Responsive Politics notes, however, that the rules governing leadership PACs are not strict. The funds can be used to dine in fine restaurants, travel around the country, hire additional staff or lay the groundwork for higher office.

Guinta imaginatively named his PAC, Guinta PAC. As is the norm, the name is an acronym: Getting Us Involved Now Transitioning America PAC.

Given Guinta’s ethical lapses — he was named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — I have another suggestion: Guilty, Unethical, Is Not Telling All PAC.

Ayotte Turns Blind Eye to Goldman Sachs’ Misdeeds

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte has raised $1.3 million in campaign contributions from the finance, insurance, and real estate industries. That might explain her curious response to the New York Times op-ed in which Goldman Sachs director Greg Smith announced his resignation condemning the firm’s “toxic and destructive” environment.

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd asked Ayotte if the op-ed made her angry.

Well, I get angry when I think about bailouts. Bailouts not only for the private sector but also, obviously, for the car companies. I don’t think that’s the right direction for us. And that highlights it, I think that’s what part of the anger was from the Tea Party movement, but also just anger about what’s happening here in Washington with the fiscal state of this country.

ThinkProgress notes Ayotte said the Goldman Sachs whistleblower proves we should have let Detroit go bankrupt. Huh?

For starters, does Ayotte think that the American auto companies were not part of the private sector when they received government aid? But more importantly, does she not recognize the difference between rescuing a vital American manufacturing industry and bailing out banks in order to save the financial system, only to see them go back to the same practices that caused the mess in the first place?

Ayotte: Tax Cuts for the Wealthy (Contributors)

Adam Smith, who is with money-in-politics watchdog Public Campaign Action, notes New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte was in the Granite State earlier this week promising to rewrite the tax code ”to avoid increases in taxes for the wealthy that kick in at year’s end.”

Yesterday, would-be beneficiaries of those millionaire tax cuts had the opportunity to thank her.

Our junior senator started the day with a fundraiser for her political action committee. The Kelly PAC breakfast was held at Johnny’s Half Shell, a Capitol Hill restaurant named one of “America’s Best” by Gourmet Magazine.

She ended the day with a dinner for Wall Street lobbyists. Central Michel Richard, a “Power Spot of the Year” winner with $17 hamburgers, was the location for her Financial Services Dinner.

She’s no stranger to the [Financial Services] industry, having collected $1.3 million from the finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) sector during her time in Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Executives at Elliot Management puts the hedge fund at the top of her donor list. Its founder Paul Singer, donated $3,142 to Ayotte’s election campaign in 2010. He made the Forbes list of the “World’s Billionaires” for the first time this year. Other top industry donors include Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and the Blackstone Group.

PACs seeking to curry favor with Ayotte ponied up $1000 to attend or $2000 to sponsor one of the events. Mere individuals got by for half that.

Kuster Raises $325K, Snags Blue America Endorsement

Roll Call reports 2nd District Congressional candidate Ann McLane Kuster will announce her campaign raised $325,000 in the fourth quarter to end the year with “well over” $800,000 in cash on hand.

Kuster has raised more than $1 million from over 11,000 contributors in just nine months. In the third quarter, Kuster outraised her opponent, Rep. Charlie Bass, by a 2-to-1 margin and ended the quarter with more cash on hand than the sitting congressman.

Kuster also picked up an endorsement from Blue America, a political action committee founded by some of the most prominent progressive bloggers in the country.

Blue America seeks to help progressive candidates overcome the financial advantage gained by conservatives from corporate interests. “We look for tough races where a little encouragement, some financial help and some advice could go a long way.” 

The endorsement is signed by Howie Klein (Down with Tyranny!), John Amato (Crooks and Liars), Digby (Hullabaloo) and the Blue America team.

Charlie Bass Milks Presidential Candidates for Cash

New Hampshire Congressman Charlie Bass has been one of the most successful lawmakers in Congress at leveraging his influence in the presidential race for campaign fundraising.

Prior to his endorsement of Mitt Romney last month, Bass raised $10,000 from Romney and $20,000 from Newt Gingrich. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that of the 223 lawmakers who have received donations from one of the two front-runners, only Missouri Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson raised more.

Making his $10,000 bet with Rick Perry seem small potatoes, Romney has donated a total of $743,263 to 211 current members of Congress. The 51 lawmakers who have endorsed him received $163,620. That’s a better record than Gingrich, who has donated $260,560 to 42 current members of Congress without receiving a single endorsement.

If you’re wondering why Congressman Frank Guinta has yet to endorse a presidential candidate this year, maybe he’s waiting for someone to pony up. Guinta has received just $3,500 from Romney and nary a red cent from Gingrich.

3rd Quarter Fundraising Recap

2nd District Congressional candidate Ann Kuster was the state’s big winner in third quarter fundraising. Kuster out-raised likely opponent Congressman Charlie Bass by a 2-to-1 margin and even raised more for the quarter than Bass and Congressman Frank Guinta combined, earning her national attention from National Journal and Politico.

In the 1st District, Carol Shea-Porter led the pack of Democrats vying for Guinta’s seat, raising more than Hosmer and Dowdell combined — leading Pindell to suggest the race is already over. Guinta raised less than half of what he brought in last quarter and was out-raised by the combined totals from the three Democrats. His lackluster performance earned him a spot on National Journal’s list of the “Top 10 House Fundraising Flops,” which he shares with Bass.

                              Kuster-D     Bass-R
Itemized Contributions  . . . $209,964    $ 63,220
Non-Itemized Contributions. . $102,225    $  4,231
Political Committees  . . . . $ 47,250    $ 80,000
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . $359,439    $147,451
                              Dowdell-D   Hosmer-D Shea-Porter-D  Guinta-R
Itemized Contributions  . . . $ 23,625    $ 29,744    $ 48,305    $ 84,613
Non-Itemized Contributions. . $  8,800    $  7,938    $ 25,956    $  5,291
Political Committees  . . . . $      0    $  1,500    $ 15,500    $ 49,000
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 32,425    $ 39,182    $ 89,761    $138,904