In all my years in Maryland politics, I have never seen a candidate who so generously used their own campaign funds to help other Republicans. As the attached memo lays out, Congressman Andy Harris raised funds in support of other candidates or gave away to other candidates a total of$1,017,800! His efforts were a major contribution to the phenomenal gains made in Maryland.
· He. supported 72 candidates for Congress or U.S. Senate and raised $475,000 for the National Republican Congressional
· Committee (NRCC).
· At the state level, Andy donated directly to 32 candidates. To local candidates and the Maryland GOP, he distributed over $190,000 through his campaign and through his leadership PAC - Chesapeake PAC.
· He also invested $175,000 in “A Great Maryland PAC,” an independent expenditure PAC that ran television ads, sent
· mailers, and performed GOTV efforts to target Democratic lawmakers in swing districts.
From: Andy Harris Campaign
To: Interested Parties
Date: December 3, 2014
Re: Congressman Harris 2014 Election Recap
To: Interested Parties
Date: December 3, 2014
Re: Congressman Harris 2014 Election Recap
In 2013 and 2014, Congressman Andy Harris made unprecedented investments in Maryland candidates and other candidates around the country. These investments produced a bounty of Republicans elected to office. Congressman Harris raised funds in support of other candidates or gave away to other candidates a total of $1,017,800!
Through direct donations, Congressman Harris supported 72 candidates for Congress or U.S. Senate. Among the candidates he supported, 49 won and 23 lost. In addition, Congressman Harris raised $475,000 for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the organization responsible for helping Republicans maintain and expand the majority in the House of Representatives.
At the state level, Congressman Harris donated directly to 32 candidates. Of the candidates he supported, 28 won, including 10 seats previously held by Democrats. To local candidates and the Maryland GOP, he distributed over $190,000 through his campaign and through his leadership PAC - Chesapeake PAC. In addition, he invested $175,000 in “A Great Maryland PAC,” an independent expenditure PAC that ran television ads, sent mailers, and performed GOTV efforts to target Democratic lawmakers in swing districts.
A more detailed review of races and investments is below:
Maryland Investments and Results
The big news on Election Night was the victory by Larry Hogan in the race for Governor, but slightly overlooked were the gains we made in legislative and local races. Going into this election cycle, Congressman Harris decided to invest early in candidates for State House of Delegates and State Senate. In particular, he focused on turning the First District red from top to bottom.
This was the first election since the 2010 Census and redistricting process. Democrats redrew the legislative district boundaries to make their own seats more secure and to make it much more difficult for Republicans. As a result of the redistricting, Republicans entered this election cycle with five fewer seats in the House of Delegates and an expectation of losing an additional seat in the State Senate. The Republicans were hoping to regain those 5 seats to maintain 43 Republicans; more optimistic Republicans were hoping to win additional races for a total of 47 Republicans. With Congressman Harris’ efforts, even those optimistic estimates were exceeded and 50 Republicans are entering the House of Delegates this January.
On the Eastern Shore, maximum contributions through the Andy Harris campaign and Chesapeake PAC were made to delegate candidates Carl Anderton and Kevin Hornberger, both of whom defeated long-time Democrat stalwarts. Carl defeated 28 year incumbent Norm Conway, who also is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in a Wicomico County based district. Kevin defeated 16 year incumbent David Rudolph, who is the Vice Chair of the Economic Matters Committee, in a Cecil County district. Every seat on the Shore other than the democratically drawn majority-minority district is now held by Republicans. The lone Democrat State Senator on the Shore, Jim Mathias, regrettably, barely held on to his seat despite investments of time and financial resources in the race. All three delegate seats in his State Senate district went Republican, but Mathias held on by the skin of his teeth.
Another big highlight on the Shore was the defeat of Democrat Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt by Republican Bob Culver. Congressman Harris donated significantly to Bob’s campaign, and Culver was able to pull it out. In addition to these Democrat-held seats, four candidates running in open seats and supported by Harris were able to put their races away with ease. Mary Beth Carozza (Worcester) won 74% in her single member district. Chris Adams (Wicomico) and Johnny Mautz (Talbot) each doubled the amount of votes received by their Democratic challengers. Jay Jacobs (Kent), Steve Arentz (Queen Anne’s) and Jeff Ghrist (Caroline) all ran strong victorious delegate campaigns. With the election of Jeff Ghrist, Caroline County has for the first time in decades a resident delegate.
Every Republican Delegate or Senate candidate who represents a part of the First District received some level of financial support from Congressman Harris.
On the Western Shore, the results were just as good. Carroll County remained the stronghold for Republicans in the state. In Harford County, Republican Bob Cassilly defeated Democrat Delegate Mary Delaney James in a race for the seat of retiring State Senator Nancy Jacobs. The Democrats had redrawn this district to favor James and Mike Miller’s Senate Slate invested over $200,000, but Cassilly’s hard work and maximum financial support from Congressman Harris gave him a victory.
In Baltimore County, Republicans completely swept Senate District 6 in Dundalk/Essex. Johnny Salling, a first time candidate, defeated Johnny Olszewski, who came from a long-time political family and was considered very safe. This race was on no one’s radar screen but after looking closely at the district and candidates, Congressman Harris felt there was potential here despite the odds. He invested in the campaign and helped send Salling to the Maryland State Senate! All three Republican Delegate candidates also won also won because of help from the House Republican Slate. These are big wins for Republicans. Unfortunately Congressman Harris’ good friend Dr. Tim Robinson came up just 1500 votes short against Democrat Jim Brochin in Senate District 42 - another race outside observers didn’t think was going to be close. Interestingly, right after the close election Democrat Jim Brochin called for a repeal of the rain tax - a tax he had previously voted for.
In addition to helping candidates, Harris invested $57,500 in the Maryland Republican Party. As a result of this donation, the MDGOP was able to fund victory centers in Baltimore and Salisbury, with staff that ran phone banks, recruited volunteers, helped coordinate grassroot efforts for legislative and local candidates while supplementing efforts being done by the Hogan campaign to help make him Governor-elect Hogan.
As a result of a recent Supreme Court ruling, Maryland permitted individuals - for the first time - to form independent-expenditure-only political action committees that can take unlimited donations and spend unlimited amounts on races as long as they don’t donate directly to or coordinate with candidates. Congressman Harris invested $175,000 in one such PAC, “A Great Maryland.” The results were overwhelmingly positive. “A Great Maryland” spent money educating the public about the tax and spend records of Democrats in key races around the state and won all targeted races but one. The Democrat House and Senate leaders, as usual, used their monopoly to raise and spend more than $1,000,000 on legislative races this year, but they were livid that Republicans were trying to fight back. Through work by the House Republican Slate and this IE unit, Republicans were able to at least compete (even if we were outspent) and win a lot of districts Democrats assumed were safe.
Federal Investments and Results
At the federal level, Congressman Harris was also active. Congressman Harris, through both his campaign and Chesapeake PAC, supported 72 candidates for Congress or Senate; 68% of the races he supported were victorious. Congressman Harris donated $142,700 to these races. House Republicans now have their largest majority since the Hoover Administration (1928). The House Conference also became more diverse. Mia Love (Utah) became the first African American Republican woman elected to the House. Will Hurd (Texas) became the first African American Republican Congressman from Texas and represents a majority-minority district. Elise Stefanik (New York), at age 30, became the youngest woman ever elected to serve on Capitol Hill. Carlos Curbelo (Florida) will be the youngest Hispanic lawmaker in the next Congress. All of these candidates were supported by Congressman Harris.
In the sixth district in Maryland, Dan Bongino came incredibly close to defeating incumbent Democrat John Delaney. Even though national Republicans didn’t invest in the race, Congressman Harris gave Dan $3,000 in a race that was tighter than pundits expected.
In addition to donating directly to candidates, Congressman Harris raised money for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The NRCC exists to help elect Republicans to the House of Representatives. As part of serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Congressman Harris has to raise at least $405,000 per cycle for the NRCC. This cycle, Congressman Harris surpassed his obligation and raised $475,000.
This money was raised through events such as the NRCC annual March Dinner, as well as through events hosted by Congressman Harris in Maryland with Speaker Boehner and Congressman Paul Ryan. Beyond his successful fundraising role, this cycle Congressman Harris served on the NRCC’s Executive Committee and Recruiting Committee.
First District Congressional Race
While Congressman Harris was investing in national and Maryland races, he never lost sight of his top priority - to ensure his return to the House of Representatives. Congressman Harris spent about $200,000 on television, radio, and mail. His opponent loaned his own campaign $200,000 of his own money for the race, launching television ads early on.
Because Harris’ opponent did not invest in Baltimore broadcast television, Congressman Harris didn’t either and was able to use money he would have otherwise had to spend there on other races.
Harris won with over 70% of the vote. To put that number in perspective, in 2012 he won with 63% of the vote and in 2010 with 54% (though the district was redrawn after 2010). He won every county in the District. His strongest county was Carroll, where he received 82% of the vote, and his weakest county was Kent, where he received 56%.
Looking Ahead
2014 was a great year for Republicans. An unpopular president and the smaller turnout that occurs in every midterm election resulted in Republicans making significant gains across the country. 2016 is a Presidential election year and this unpopular President will not be on the ballot. As a result, turnout among all groups will be significantly higher. This puts Republicans in danger.
Congressman Harris is already formulating a plan for how to help Republicans expand or at least keep their congressional majority in 2016. In Maryland, a few local races (Cecil County Executive, for example) will join the federal races (Congress and one Senate seat) on the 2016 ballot. He is looking at these Maryland races to make sure Republicans maximize opportunities. At the federal level, he is looking at the few Democratic seats that barely got away this cycle and will be focusing on protecting his fellow incumbents.
With Eric Cantor’s loss earlier this year, no incumbent can take primary elections lightly. For all of these reasons, Andy Harris will continue to need to raise significant amounts of money. Whether a donation is made directly to his campaign, to Chesapeake PAC, or contributions are given to the NRCC to be credited to Congressman Harris, all support helps him effectively serve the voters of the First District as well as help all Republicans in Maryland and in Congress.
Through direct donations, Congressman Harris supported 72 candidates for Congress or U.S. Senate. Among the candidates he supported, 49 won and 23 lost. In addition, Congressman Harris raised $475,000 for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the organization responsible for helping Republicans maintain and expand the majority in the House of Representatives.
At the state level, Congressman Harris donated directly to 32 candidates. Of the candidates he supported, 28 won, including 10 seats previously held by Democrats. To local candidates and the Maryland GOP, he distributed over $190,000 through his campaign and through his leadership PAC - Chesapeake PAC. In addition, he invested $175,000 in “A Great Maryland PAC,” an independent expenditure PAC that ran television ads, sent mailers, and performed GOTV efforts to target Democratic lawmakers in swing districts.
A more detailed review of races and investments is below:
Maryland Investments and Results
The big news on Election Night was the victory by Larry Hogan in the race for Governor, but slightly overlooked were the gains we made in legislative and local races. Going into this election cycle, Congressman Harris decided to invest early in candidates for State House of Delegates and State Senate. In particular, he focused on turning the First District red from top to bottom.
This was the first election since the 2010 Census and redistricting process. Democrats redrew the legislative district boundaries to make their own seats more secure and to make it much more difficult for Republicans. As a result of the redistricting, Republicans entered this election cycle with five fewer seats in the House of Delegates and an expectation of losing an additional seat in the State Senate. The Republicans were hoping to regain those 5 seats to maintain 43 Republicans; more optimistic Republicans were hoping to win additional races for a total of 47 Republicans. With Congressman Harris’ efforts, even those optimistic estimates were exceeded and 50 Republicans are entering the House of Delegates this January.
On the Eastern Shore, maximum contributions through the Andy Harris campaign and Chesapeake PAC were made to delegate candidates Carl Anderton and Kevin Hornberger, both of whom defeated long-time Democrat stalwarts. Carl defeated 28 year incumbent Norm Conway, who also is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in a Wicomico County based district. Kevin defeated 16 year incumbent David Rudolph, who is the Vice Chair of the Economic Matters Committee, in a Cecil County district. Every seat on the Shore other than the democratically drawn majority-minority district is now held by Republicans. The lone Democrat State Senator on the Shore, Jim Mathias, regrettably, barely held on to his seat despite investments of time and financial resources in the race. All three delegate seats in his State Senate district went Republican, but Mathias held on by the skin of his teeth.
Another big highlight on the Shore was the defeat of Democrat Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt by Republican Bob Culver. Congressman Harris donated significantly to Bob’s campaign, and Culver was able to pull it out. In addition to these Democrat-held seats, four candidates running in open seats and supported by Harris were able to put their races away with ease. Mary Beth Carozza (Worcester) won 74% in her single member district. Chris Adams (Wicomico) and Johnny Mautz (Talbot) each doubled the amount of votes received by their Democratic challengers. Jay Jacobs (Kent), Steve Arentz (Queen Anne’s) and Jeff Ghrist (Caroline) all ran strong victorious delegate campaigns. With the election of Jeff Ghrist, Caroline County has for the first time in decades a resident delegate.
Every Republican Delegate or Senate candidate who represents a part of the First District received some level of financial support from Congressman Harris.
On the Western Shore, the results were just as good. Carroll County remained the stronghold for Republicans in the state. In Harford County, Republican Bob Cassilly defeated Democrat Delegate Mary Delaney James in a race for the seat of retiring State Senator Nancy Jacobs. The Democrats had redrawn this district to favor James and Mike Miller’s Senate Slate invested over $200,000, but Cassilly’s hard work and maximum financial support from Congressman Harris gave him a victory.
In Baltimore County, Republicans completely swept Senate District 6 in Dundalk/Essex. Johnny Salling, a first time candidate, defeated Johnny Olszewski, who came from a long-time political family and was considered very safe. This race was on no one’s radar screen but after looking closely at the district and candidates, Congressman Harris felt there was potential here despite the odds. He invested in the campaign and helped send Salling to the Maryland State Senate! All three Republican Delegate candidates also won also won because of help from the House Republican Slate. These are big wins for Republicans. Unfortunately Congressman Harris’ good friend Dr. Tim Robinson came up just 1500 votes short against Democrat Jim Brochin in Senate District 42 - another race outside observers didn’t think was going to be close. Interestingly, right after the close election Democrat Jim Brochin called for a repeal of the rain tax - a tax he had previously voted for.
In addition to helping candidates, Harris invested $57,500 in the Maryland Republican Party. As a result of this donation, the MDGOP was able to fund victory centers in Baltimore and Salisbury, with staff that ran phone banks, recruited volunteers, helped coordinate grassroot efforts for legislative and local candidates while supplementing efforts being done by the Hogan campaign to help make him Governor-elect Hogan.
As a result of a recent Supreme Court ruling, Maryland permitted individuals - for the first time - to form independent-expenditure-only political action committees that can take unlimited donations and spend unlimited amounts on races as long as they don’t donate directly to or coordinate with candidates. Congressman Harris invested $175,000 in one such PAC, “A Great Maryland.” The results were overwhelmingly positive. “A Great Maryland” spent money educating the public about the tax and spend records of Democrats in key races around the state and won all targeted races but one. The Democrat House and Senate leaders, as usual, used their monopoly to raise and spend more than $1,000,000 on legislative races this year, but they were livid that Republicans were trying to fight back. Through work by the House Republican Slate and this IE unit, Republicans were able to at least compete (even if we were outspent) and win a lot of districts Democrats assumed were safe.
Federal Investments and Results
At the federal level, Congressman Harris was also active. Congressman Harris, through both his campaign and Chesapeake PAC, supported 72 candidates for Congress or Senate; 68% of the races he supported were victorious. Congressman Harris donated $142,700 to these races. House Republicans now have their largest majority since the Hoover Administration (1928). The House Conference also became more diverse. Mia Love (Utah) became the first African American Republican woman elected to the House. Will Hurd (Texas) became the first African American Republican Congressman from Texas and represents a majority-minority district. Elise Stefanik (New York), at age 30, became the youngest woman ever elected to serve on Capitol Hill. Carlos Curbelo (Florida) will be the youngest Hispanic lawmaker in the next Congress. All of these candidates were supported by Congressman Harris.
In the sixth district in Maryland, Dan Bongino came incredibly close to defeating incumbent Democrat John Delaney. Even though national Republicans didn’t invest in the race, Congressman Harris gave Dan $3,000 in a race that was tighter than pundits expected.
In addition to donating directly to candidates, Congressman Harris raised money for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The NRCC exists to help elect Republicans to the House of Representatives. As part of serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Congressman Harris has to raise at least $405,000 per cycle for the NRCC. This cycle, Congressman Harris surpassed his obligation and raised $475,000.
This money was raised through events such as the NRCC annual March Dinner, as well as through events hosted by Congressman Harris in Maryland with Speaker Boehner and Congressman Paul Ryan. Beyond his successful fundraising role, this cycle Congressman Harris served on the NRCC’s Executive Committee and Recruiting Committee.
First District Congressional Race
While Congressman Harris was investing in national and Maryland races, he never lost sight of his top priority - to ensure his return to the House of Representatives. Congressman Harris spent about $200,000 on television, radio, and mail. His opponent loaned his own campaign $200,000 of his own money for the race, launching television ads early on.
Because Harris’ opponent did not invest in Baltimore broadcast television, Congressman Harris didn’t either and was able to use money he would have otherwise had to spend there on other races.
Harris won with over 70% of the vote. To put that number in perspective, in 2012 he won with 63% of the vote and in 2010 with 54% (though the district was redrawn after 2010). He won every county in the District. His strongest county was Carroll, where he received 82% of the vote, and his weakest county was Kent, where he received 56%.
Looking Ahead
2014 was a great year for Republicans. An unpopular president and the smaller turnout that occurs in every midterm election resulted in Republicans making significant gains across the country. 2016 is a Presidential election year and this unpopular President will not be on the ballot. As a result, turnout among all groups will be significantly higher. This puts Republicans in danger.
Congressman Harris is already formulating a plan for how to help Republicans expand or at least keep their congressional majority in 2016. In Maryland, a few local races (Cecil County Executive, for example) will join the federal races (Congress and one Senate seat) on the 2016 ballot. He is looking at these Maryland races to make sure Republicans maximize opportunities. At the federal level, he is looking at the few Democratic seats that barely got away this cycle and will be focusing on protecting his fellow incumbents.
With Eric Cantor’s loss earlier this year, no incumbent can take primary elections lightly. For all of these reasons, Andy Harris will continue to need to raise significant amounts of money. Whether a donation is made directly to his campaign, to Chesapeake PAC, or contributions are given to the NRCC to be credited to Congressman Harris, all support helps him effectively serve the voters of the First District as well as help all Republicans in Maryland and in Congress.
1 comment:
That is only 1 of the reasons I voted for him!
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