Republican leaders max out donations

The top four Republican Senate leaders have each given Sharron Angle the maximum $5,000 general election donation, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP nemesis of her opponent Sen. Harry Reid, said officials familiar with her fundraising.

Other popular GOP players also have opened their wallets for Angle -- such as potential 2012 presidential contenders Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney -- and might campaign for her in Nevada.

And the state's GOP senator, John Ensign, has given Angle $5,000, as well.

"I am just campaigning for his opponent. That is OK to do," Ensign said Tuesday in an interview, saying it doesn't violate a non aggression pact the two senators have. Reid campaigned for Ensign's Democratic foe in 2006. "That is part of the agreement and has been from the beginning."

Angle's fundraising so far signals that both establishment and Tea Party factions of the GOP are going all out to help the staunch conservative defeat Reid, the Democratic Senate leader who nonetheless is still expected to raise far more cash than Angle in a race of national import.

"Angle's never going to raise as much money as Reid, but she doesn't have to. She just needs enough money to run a credible campaign," said Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report, which calls the U.S. Senate contest a "toss-up," meaning either candidate could win. "The fact that the GOP leadership is maxing out to help her is a good sign. They're not playing games."

Duffy noted that the Tea Party favorite Angle also is doing well in getting small contributions from people across the country via her website, raising to date more than $1.8 million since the June 8 primary.

Still, Angle campaign officials were hoping for an even bigger haul during the latest fund-raising quarter, which ended June 30 -- just three weeks after the primary.

Chuck Kozak, the campaign's finance chairman, said Angle fell short of a $1.4 million fund-raising goal by the June 30 deadline, partly because not enough GOP leadership Political Action Committees of other veteran lawmakers contributed money. Before this latest report, Angle had raised a total of $1.2 million since she began running for the Senate about a year ago.

"Reid has some people intimidated," Kozak said. "They know if they give money and Sharron loses, Reid will hit back pretty hard. But I think that will change with time."

For now, the top leaders are all getting fully behind Angle, the former Reno assemblywoman who traveled to Washington, D.C., right after her stunning primary victory to ask for help. Most leaders donate through political a ction committees they set up, which expands their political power.

Besides McConnell, the Senate minority leader from Kentucky, other $5,000 contributors include Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and most closely involved in the Reid-Angle race. The figures were confirmed by Brian Walsh, spokesman for the NRSC.

"Sharron Angle has raised more money in three weeks than many Senate campaigns have been able to raise in three months," Walsh said in a statement. "Senate Republican leaders like Senators McConnell, Cornyn, Kyl and others have contributed to her campaign, but more importantly, her strong fundraising numbers reflect the tremendous outpouring of support she is receiving from not just the Republican grass roots but also independent voters who are tired of Harry Reid using the federal treasury like his own personal credit card. "

Reid and President Barack Obama, who campaigned in Las Vegas last week for the senate leader, defended industry bailouts and a $787 billion stimulus bill as necessary to stop the nation from falling into a deeper recession. The Democrats both blamed Bush administration policies for the crisis.

Obama has helped Reid and the Democrats raise about $2.8 million at fundraisers he has headlined during his three visits to Las Vegas since last year.

As of late May, the Reid campaign had about $9 million in cash on hand after having spent about $10 million so far during this election cycle. The campaign said it would release its latest second quarter fundraising report ending June 30 by a Thursday deadline set by the FEC.

Reid has said he plans to raise up to a record $25 million to win a fifth Senate term.

Majority Leader Reid has received the most of any senator in contributions from Democratic leadership PACs, according to OpenSecrets.org. It showed Reid raised at least $278,449 from those PACs this election cycle, according to reports filed with the FEC as of June 13.

On Sunday, Reid traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, to raise money for himself and 11 other Democratic Senate candidates from trial lawyers attending the American Association for Justice convention. Reid was to get 20 percent of the total raised, though no figures were released.

While Reid is enjoying high-profile help from Obama, the first lady, former President Bill Clinton and Cabinet members, Angle, too, is now starting to get some big name support.

Sarah Palin's political action committee contributed $2,500 to Angle's campaign, according to an FEC report filed Sunday. It showed the former 2008 vice presidential running mate donating a total of $87,500 to candidates. Palin hasn't officially endorsed Angle yet, however.

Jerry Stacy, spokesman for Angle's campaign, said a dual appearance is in the works.

"Sarah Palin has already funded Sharron Angle's campaign with a generous contribution, and we will work to coordinate an event at a later date," Stacy said last month when Palin came to Las Vegas for a bowling convention but didn't hang around long enough to meet with Angle.

In March, Palin starred at a Tea Party event in Reid's hometown, the "Showdown in Searchlight," that attracted up to 10,000 people rallying to retire the incumbent. Angle also spoke at the event .

Romney, who won the 2008 GOP presidential caucuses in Nevada, donated $5,000 to Angle and endorsed her after she won the primary. The former Massachusetts governor has campaigned in Las Vegas for Joe Heck, the Republican trying to unseat Rep. Dina Titus, the vulnerable freshman Democrat.

"I would be somewhat surprised if we don't see him again" campaigning for GOP candidates such as Heck and Angle in Nevada, said Ryan Erwin, Romney's representative on the ground in Las Vegas. "I think you're going to see Governor Romney campaigning across the country for a number of candidates."

Both Reid and Angle already are getting plenty of big money support from outside interest groups spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to run TV and radio ads -- money that political observers believe could make the U.S. Senate race a $100 million contest by Election Day on Nov. 2.

Angle's even getting some support from unusual sources.

Dick Morris, the former political adviser to President Clinton, has turned his back on Democrats and embraced conservatives. And now he's raising money to run anti-Reid ads for Angle.

"The campaign in Nevada to replace Harry Reid is in a desperate situation and needs your help," Morris writes in an e-mail solicitation for the Las Vegas-based Americans for New Leadership, which was formed last week, according to The Associated Press.

Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.