Angle going to Washington, hoping for financial boost

WASHINGTON -- Sharron Angle will return to Washington next week, where Republican senators and lobbyists will try to give her Senate campaign a financial shot in the arm.

Angle's last visit to the nation's capital, days after winning the Nevada Republican nomination in June to challenge Sen. Harry Reid, garnered her mixed reviews and little immediate support from political action committees and lobbyists.

But as the race has remained close past Labor Day, Angle is positioning for a more profitable reception on a swing that her campaign said will include events in Philadelphia and New York.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and the No. 2 GOP leader, Minority Whip Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, are among the senators expected to be at a Wednesday fundraising reception at the National Republican Senatorial Committee .

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., "will be attending the fundraiser, and he's available to do whatever Angle would like for him to do" while she is in Washington, Ensign spokeswoman Jennifer Cooper said.

While Republican senators such as McConnell, Kyl and NRSC Chairman John Cornyn of Texas already have contributed the maximum $5,000 allowed to Angle, this would be the first visible show of support from the lobbying community, which so far has lined up squarely behind the incumbent.

As of a month ago, Angle had collected just $500 from one lobbyist, while Reid was raking in well over $500,000 and had lobbyists bundling additional contributions from their friends and clients.

But some analysts surmised over the summer that the Republican community along the K Street lobbying corridor probably would open its wallets for Angle after Labor Day if the Nevada race were close. Polls indicate it is close, with Reid holding a slight lead.

Last month, Angle criticized Reid as the "godfather" of lobbyists . Now she is courting the same community.

Despite Angle's outreach to lobbyists, Brian Walsh, NRSC communications director, charged that Nevadans will have little problem identifying which candidate is identified with interest groups.

"In the 20-plus years Harry Reid has been in Washington, he's taken more than $6 million in lobbyist money, and his name has become synonymous with special interests and back-room deals such as the Cornhusker Kickback," Walsh said. "We'll let the voters of Nevada decide which candidate in this race is on their side."

Jon Summers, a Reid spokesman, challenged Angle's consistency. He pointed out that Angle said in an interview this week with ABC News that lawmakers who supported "bailout" policies were "not friends to the free market system."

"Given that line of thinking, it seems odd that she would allow people she classifies as domestic enemies to hold a fundraiser for her in Washington," Summers said.

Summers was referring to the Oct. 1, 2008, bank bailout vote, which passed 74-25 in the Senate with support from both Democrats and Republicans, including McConnell, Kyl and Cornyn.

According to a copy of the invitation obtained Wednesday by Politico and confirmed by Republican sources, the host list for Sept. 16 includes former Rep. Bill Paxon of New York; Tim Powers, a former Republican National Committee and Bush-Cheney 2000 staffer; David Norcross, a former RNC general counsel; former Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina; Kirsten Chadwick, a former White House aide under President George W. Bush; Dirk Van Dongen, president of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and a major GOP fundraiser; and Jade West, a former Senate Republican aide. All are lobbyists and/or Republican fundraisers.

Angle's campaign has not disclosed details of her itinerary but said it was encouraged by its prospects.

"Sharron Angle is earning the cooperation and support from national figures within the Republican Party, and it is an excellent sign that our campaign is hitting its stride in both fundraising and messaging," spokesman Jerry Stacy said.

Angle went to Washington June 15-16, a week after winning the Nevada Republican primary to take on Reid. She had lunch with Republican senators in the U.S. Capitol and met individually with Cornyn and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

She left Washington to mixed reviews. She avoided encounters with the media, leading Cornyn to declare that her campaign would need "a few weeks" to get prepared for a major race.

After she departed, Democrats said they were more confident that Reid could be re-elected in November .

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.