Publicly, Republicans might be talking big about Rick O’Donnell’s chances in the CD-7 race, but several internal documents show they’re less than enthusiastic. A spreadsheet reportedly leaked from the National Republican Congressional Committee has surfaced on the Web. The spreadsheet categorizes competitive races on a 1-5 scale, with a “1” indicating the race “should be ok.” The document lists the CD-7 race as a “4,” described as “leaning Democrat; expect to lose most of these seats unless there’s serious change.”
That pessimism is echoed by the “Final Push List” the NRCC compiled last week of 33 competitive seats it’s targeting. The list, obtained by Washington newspaper The Hill, includes Marilyn Musgrave and Doug Lamborn, but glaringly absent is O’Donnell. The NRCC states these are the candidates who are “most in need of support right now.” Does this mean the GOP thinks Lamborn and Musgrave have better chances of losing than O’Donnell does of winning? Ouch. Or, it could have to do with the fact that O’Donnell has twice as much cash on hand as his opponent Ed Perlmutter. But, that doesn’t mean O’Donnell doesn’t need help from the NRCC – especially since Perlmutter is getting more than a leg up from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Yesterday, the DCCC reported it spent $327,213 on two media buys in the district, one in support of Perlmutter and one opposing O’Donnell.However, the GOP hasn’t altogether abandoned O’Donnell yet. The “Final Push List” is dated Oct. 19, and two days later the NRCC spent $240,000 on an ad opposing Perlmutter. But, the omission of O’Donnell from the list is still significant. After polls consistently showing Perlmutter with a healthy lead, the NRCC documents show the race is no longer a priority for the GOP.
