A Democratic committee's decision to pull advertising money it planned to spend in North Dakota has state Republicans claiming Rep. Earl Pomeroy was "cut loose" after months of running behind Republican challenger Rick Berg in the polls.
But that's "absolutely not" the case, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said, and the group remains committed to help Pomeroy as he vies for a 10th term in the U.S. House.
"We disagree with the Republican assessment on every count," she said. "The DCCC is working very aggressively with Mr. Pomeroy, and he's been running an excellent campaign."
Tom Nelson, a spokesman for Berg, said the DCCC's decision is simply a "cancellation," the way he sees it.
"I think it's telling," he said.
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In a Monday news release, Nelson said Pomeroy was being "cut loose" by Democratic leaders despite "trying to save his political career with hundreds of thousands of dollars in blatantly false, negative and hypocritical attacks."
"It has to be a punch to the gut for Pomeroy, knowing that despite voting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi 97 percent of the time and casting one of the decisive votes for ObamaCare, your party abandons ship," he wrote.
But Crider said the committee believes Pomeroy will get the votes to win again in November.
"As voters learn more about Mr. Berg's record, we're confident that Mr. Pomeroy's going to win," she said.
Still invested
In late July, the committee set aside $28 million to reserve television ad time for 40 incumbent representatives. While 27 were first elected in 2006 or 2008, several House veterans, including Pomeroy, were among the lawmakers who were slated to get a boost from the party.
But the plans changed Monday when the DCCC readjusted its advertising buys.
Crider confirmed the committee had canceled television ad buys in North Dakota for the weeks of Sept. 27 and Oct. 5 -- a $1.2 million investment, Nelson said.
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But Crider said the DCCC is still "very heavily invested in Mr. Pomeroy's campaign," especially his voter contact program.
The committee has two parts, she explained: a campaign side that works directly with candidates, and an independent expenditures side that doesn't communicate with political campaigns or the other side of the DCCC.
The independent side made the earlier ad reservations and decided this week to adjust its television spending, she said. But the campaign side, which she represents, still intends to invest at least $100,000 in Pomeroy's campaign and remain involved in his re-election bid.
"The independent side's decision has no impact on the substantial and ongoing work the campaign side is doing," Crider said.
In a Tuesday statement, DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen said the committee "has invested heavily in this race and remains fully committed to Earl Pomeroy's campaign."
Crider called the ad changes an "adjustment" by the independent side, and said the group makes television reservations early in the campaign season to get a discounted rate.
"But you don't know in the early summer what the circumstances will be in the fall," she said.
Crider said that distinction is important because the independent side has to pay a higher rate for television advertising, while candidates pay the lowest rate. That means funding from the campaign side of the DCCC will go "a long way" compared to independent money.
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Brenden Timpe, a spokesman for Pomeroy, said the DCCC's decision was done separately from the campaign and isn't something they're concerned about.
"The Republicans are going to do everything they can to spin any story in their favor," he said. "But the fact is we're in the middle of a tough campaign and we're running really hard."
Timpe said Republicans are trying to convince North Dakotans that Berg "is on the march to a coronation," but Pomeroy's campaign doesn't see the election outcome as a foregone conclusion.
"This is a tough race," Timpe said. "It's going to be close. But we're feeling good and we feel like we've got some momentum."
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
