GOP fundraising effort targeting Oklahoma cities

Mar 9, 2010 — The Daily Oklahoman

Chris Casteel

Mar. 9, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the national Republican Party is coming to Oklahoma today to talk up a new effort to raise money in the state, but the state's GOP leader said he isn't happy about it.

Gary Jones, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, said in an interview that he's concerned the national party's fundraising drive could siphon money that would otherwise help Oklahoma Republican candidates in a busy election year.

"It's like sending our tax dollars to Washington," Jones said when asked about the national party effort. "You kind of wonder what you get back."

Michael Steele, who is the chairman of the Republican National Committee, has scheduled news conferences in Tulsa and Oklahoma City to announce an initiative targeting donors with a new Web site and ads on the Fox News Channel.

Tulsa and Oklahoma City are two of five markets in which the effort is being launched.

Sara Sendek, a spokeswoman for the national Republican Party, said the initiative is "meant to educate voters and motivate Americans to become engaged as donors and volunteers -- we view this as an opportunity to get our message out to concerned Americans and encourage and invigorate current, dormant and new donors."

Jones said there was no coordination between the national party and the state organization on the effort and that there should have been.

The state party has never received much financial help from the national organization, despite its huge electoral gains in the last few cycles, Jones said. He said the national party should be soliciting advice from Oklahoma Republicans, rather than money from donors.

"I think especially in this tough economy, people don't have unlimited resources," Jones said, adding that Oklahoma had always been a "donor state," sending more money to the federal party than the state has gotten back in help for candidates and other programs. He said state party fundraising is "down considerably."

Oklahoma was the reddest state in the 2008 presidential election, giving GOP nominee Sen. John McCain his largest margin of victory.

Sendek said Oklahoma wasn't chosen just because of the presidential race. She said research showed it was one of the states with a strong donor base and strong party activists and a place "where we can get our message out most effectively."

The other initiative markets are Greensboro, N.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and West Palm Beach, Fla.

Sendek said the national party would be setting up victory programs later this year and that the Oklahoma party "is going to see some of the money."

Steele's visit to Oklahoma comes on the heels of a controversy caused when a top party official used images of President Barack Obama as the Joker and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Cruella de Vil as part of a presentation to GOP fundraisers.

I think

especially

in this

tough

economy,

people

don't

have

unlimited

resources."

Gary Jones,

chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party

Newstex ID: KRTB-0148-42700752