Harold Johnson Campaign: A move other Republicans are using ties Kissell to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Parties, advocacy groups spend big in N.C. congressional races

Charlotte Observer

By Jim Morrill

Outside groups and political parties are blitzing the airwaves as N.C. congressional races enter their final weeks and new rules loosen restrictions on how some groups raise money.

In North Carolina, spending is particularly heavy in the 8th District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell faces a challenge from Republican Harold Johnson.

While two Democratic Party groups are airing pro-Kissell TV ads, a group called Americans for Job Security last week reported spending $1.6 million against him and two other N.C. Democrats.

The group is among those taking advantage of Internal Revenue Service guidelines that don't require them to disclose their donors. Such groups also have benefited from January's landmark Supreme Court ruling that lets them take money from corporations and labor unions.

Americans for Job Security isn't the only such advocacy group active in the Carolinas. The American Future Fund - a conservative advocacy group based in Iowa - has spent $190,000 on ads against Democratic Rep. John Spratt in South Carolina.

Politico, quoting a memo leaked to House Democrats, reported Wednesday that such independent, pro-Republican groups had paid for a total of $23.6 million worth of ads while Democratic-aligned groups had spent just $4.8 million on TV.

"Business investors and conservatives that want to see change in Congress are perceiving a possible return on their investment in ways that they may not have before," said Bob Hall, who has tracked campaign spending for Democracy North Carolina. "That's helping put money into these groups, along with the green light that the Supreme Court has given."

In addition to the outside groups, two Democratic party groups are spending money on ads attacking Johnson.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported spending $200,000 on an ad accusing Johnson of supporting tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. FactCheck.org, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, has said similar Democratic claims aren't true.

The N.C. Democratic Party is spending around $100,000 on an ad that accuses Johnson of endangering Social Security.

But no group has spent as much on N.C. congressional races as Americans for Job Security.

Through mid-August, the pro-business group had spent $6.3 million on races this election, according to FactCheck. In September it has spent $550,000 against Kissell, $341,000 against Rep. Bob Etheridge in the 2nd District and $736,000 against Rep. Heath Shuler in the 11th.

"The mission here is clear - to hold politicians accountable for their votes in Congress," said AJS spokesman Tom Kise.

Kise declined to disclose who funds the Alexandria, Va.-based group, saying donors "fear retribution from the government." Asked if they included corporations, he said, "We have a variety of members."

Critics say the lack of disclosure prevents voters from knowing the source of money behind ads. But John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, said "there's an argument for disclosure, there's an argument for confidentiality."

In January in the so-called Citizens United case, the Supreme Court ruled that the government can't ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Steve DeMaura, the president of Americans for Job Security, called the decision an "unequivocal victory" for those "who believe in free speech and the rights of organizations such as ours to promote our point of view."

Advocates of campaign finance reform take a different view.

"Citizens United was the straw that broke the campaign camel's back," said Damon Circosta, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education. He said the ruling allows what had been a stream of outside money in N.C. elections turn into "a flash flood."

While such groups are active in federal races, other outside groups have sprung up in N.C. state races.

Real Jobs NC, funded by the Republican Party and conservative groups, has reported raising $550,000 for legislative races. A counter-group called Real Facts NC expects to get involved soon, funded by Democratic-leaning donors.

Money, said Hood, will always flow into campaigns.

"Because there are big issues, jobs, contracts and businesses at stake, people will always be willing to spend money to influence the outcome," he said. "If you close one door, they'll open another. If you close all doors, they'll open the window."

Jim Morrill: 704-358-5059

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