Washington – The national Democratic Party has spent millions on consultants, Internet services, catering and building state parties, entering the weeks before Election Day with only about one-fifth as much as the Republicans for races that could decide control of Congress.
The Republican National Committee is prepared to spend $60 million over the next seven weeks on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts to protect the GOP’s narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
The Democratic National Committee plans to use about a fifth of that, all devoted to getting voters to the polls. Even in that effort, though, it has set aside only an average of $60,000 in each of the 40 most competitive congressional races in the country.
Under Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, the DNC has delivered more resources than any other toward building the party at the state level. In doing so, the DNC as of July 31 had transferred nearly $13 million to state and local party committees across the country while also raising $4 million for the states through the DNC’s direct-mail operation.
To help raise the cash, the party has spent more than $14 million on consultants. The party also had spent more than $2 million on catering and events at tony restaurants and resorts, including the five-star Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
It devoted almost $4.5 million to Internet services.
Both parties will rely heavily on their congressional campaign committees for advertising and voter outreach. But while the GOP is operating at a political disadvantage this election, its financial edge could be crucial for Republicans to retain political power.
Republican Party chairman Ken Mehlman has developed a highly touted voter-outreach operation that party operatives say he will blend with targeted television advertising.
To be sure, Republicans have long been able to raise more money than Democrats. Dean, a prolific fundraiser, has been successful at bringing in more money by Democratic standards. But his decision to spend more on states has angered Washington- based party operatives who want to place the party’s focus on winning control of Congress and set the stage to regain the White House in 2008.
On the other hand, Dean’s strategy has vast support from state party officials who have been pleading for years for help from the Democratic national committee. State party officials say the money, in turn, will help Democrats in races up and down the ballot, from gubernatorial to congressional to state legislative contests.
