GOP's ad blitz targets 2 Ariz. Dems

National Republicans, getting a jump on 2014, are sending two trucks carrying campaign billboards around Arizona targeting congressional Democrats they believe are vulnerable in the midterm elections.

The ads attack U.S. Reps. Ron Barber and Ann Kirkpatrick and seize on President Barack Obama's health-care program and recent controversy over the Internal Revenue Service.

Arizona is a top priority for Republicans, after the party lost all three of the state's toss-up congressional races last year, handing Democrats a majority of the state delegation. The billboard blitz is part of a National Republican Congressional Committee initiative to go after seven House members across the country, including Barber and Kirkpatrick, whose toss-up districts went for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year.

"The point of these is a very public display of how highly we are targeting these districts," Annie Kelly, an NRCC spokeswoman, told The Arizona Republic from the party's offices in Washington on Tuesday.

The billboards, along with a recent spate of online ads, represent a trickle of money that is expected to turn into a deluge by next year.

The ads are meant to drive home that Barber and Kirkpatrick are too liberal for their constituents, said Kelly, who already is traveling to Arizona to recruit opposition candidates. The ads warn that the members of Congress will "put the IRS in charge of your health care" because they voted against repealing "Obamacare" and because the IRS will play a role in enforcing rules in the health-care law.

Spokespeople for Kirkpatrick and Barber said the GOP attacks are off base.

"These folks have no clue about rural Arizona," said Jennifer Johnson, spokeswoman for Kirkpatrick of Flagstaff. "While (Republicans) were gathering in Phoenix to launch a traveling circus, Congresswoman Kirkpatrick was hard at work in her district, honoring our veterans and talking jobs and economic development with small-business owners."

Barber spokesman Rodd McLeod said the Tucson Democrat is trying, along with some Republicans, to change controversial aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

Barber signed on to three such bills, which McLeod said the Republican Party should focus on passing instead of putting splashy billboards on the road.

"They should be focused on trying to deliver more value to Arizonans than a cheap political stunt," McLeod said.

Arizona's third swing-district Democrat, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, was not included in the blitz -- her district leans further left and supported Obama -- but the Republican campaign committee has pledged to target her with other efforts.

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Secret money targets 2 props

A group led by former state House Speaker Kirk Adams has directed $1.1million into campaigns opposing two citizen initiatives, fueling a late surge by the opposition and drawing complaints of secrecy from backers of the propositions.

Americans for Responsible Leadership, which is operating as an independent-expenditure committee, has contributed nearly 40 percent of the money to date opposing Proposition 204, a tax measure that would ensure a permanent source of funding for education by extending the temporary 1-cent-per-dollar sales tax.

It also accounts for about 40 percent of the money spent to campaign against Proposition 121, which would establish a new primary system and scrap the partisan system.

State laws do not require the Arizona non-profit group to disclose where it gets its money. But a California court this week may force Americans for Responsible Leadership to name its contributors.

The group has spent $750,000 to oppose Prop. 204 and $415,000 against Prop. 121. In addition to weighing in on the Arizona races, Americans for Responsible Leadership has poured $11million into two California ballot initiatives, triggering the legal complaint that is scheduled to be heard at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. A decision is likely before Election Day.

The group is registered in Arizona as a non-profit that can advocate on issues. California law requires non-profits to disclose their donors if those contributions come from people who acknowledge their dollars will support a political cause.

The battle over disclosure stems from the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United campaign-finance ruling in 2010. The decision allows corporate donors to direct money for political purposes through independent committees without disclosing contributors' identities.

Last week, Common Cause of California accused Americans for Responsible Leadership of attempting to "manipulate" the state's election with "laundered money." Common Cause asked the commission to investigate the group and force it to reveal its donors.

Arizonans are closely watching the case.

Former Mayor Paul Johnson, who is spearheading Prop. 121, questioned the motives of the donors: "You could start by thinking the worst: Is this someone that wants a big state contract? Is this someone that wants a private-prison contract or to adjust the way that our health-care system works? Who is this group? What do they want?"

Ann-Eve Pedersen, chairwoman of the Quality Education and Jobs committee, which brought Prop. 204 to the ballot, is also watching the California court case.

She called the secrecy surrounding the group and its Arizona contributions "troubling" and said it's hard to fight a group that hides the source of its funding.

Pedersen called on state Treasurer Doug Ducey, who is serving as chairman of the No on Prop. 204 Committee, to reveal the donors even though state law does not require that he do so. She said Ducey indicated at a debate last week that he knew who the donors were.

Ducey didn't return a call seeking comment. But Ryan Anderson, who works for DC London, the consultant advising the opposition campaign, said they have no idea who gave the $750,000 to Americans for Responsible Leadership.

"They don't know me, and I don't know them," he said.

By law, a campaign cannot coordinate with an independent-expenditure committee.

Ann Ravel, California Fair Political Practices Commission chairwoman, said laws in that state require organizations such as Americans for Responsible Leadership to disclose donors.

California has stricter disclosure laws than Arizona, and she said the commission will seek more information about the circumstances surrounding the contributions.

Americans for Responsible Leadership spent $11million in California to defeat a proposed tax increase and to support an effort to drastically change the state's campaign-finance system, including banning the practice of political contributions by payroll deduction -- which labor unions rely on to raise political money.

"Our view is that they are required to identify donors unless people gave $11million not knowing at all that it was going to be spent in California for a campaign," Ravel said. "All we are asking for is information -- an audit to see if they fall within our law. Why they would be so unwilling to just let us look at the documents if they think they're acting legally is interesting."

Matt Ross, a publicist for Americans for Responsible Leadership, said the group is acting legally. In an e-mail, he stated, "California's Fair Political Practices Commission does not have the power to conduct audits in advance of the election."

On its website, the group says it promotes government accountability, transparency, ethics and related policy issues.

"For too long, America has been led by politicians who are beholden to special interests and make decisions based on political expediency and self-promotion rather than fiscal discipline and the national interest," the website says. "We need principled leaders who will make tough choices, provide straightforward answers to difficult questions and put our country back on the path to prosperity."

According to filings with the Arizona Corporation Commission, the group was incorporated last year by Robert Graham, a businessman who is running for state Republican Party chairman, and Eric Wnuck, a Republican businessman who ran for Congress in 2010.

Adams, also a Republican, became president this fall, a few weeks after losing his primary race against Matt Salmon for a congressional seat.

Adams did not return phone calls or an e-mail seeking information about the group.

But Graham told The Arizona Republic that the group is trying "to influence the right policies for Arizona" and is on the right side of the law. The group is set up as a non-profit, he said, because that status "allows your contributors to be confidential."

He said that the group is not solely focused on politics, adding that it also works to educate the public about policy. Graham said the group has educated the public generally about policies or proposals it supports or opposes. He did not detail what that "education" entailed.

Graham said the group is funded through in-state and out-of-state individuals and business groups. He would not identify donors. He said the group's non-profit status allows people "to feel like they had the freedom to impact election cycles or initiatives or policies without having a target on their back."

Steve Nickolas, a Valley beverage-industry businessman, and financial adviser Taylor Searle are also listed as group directors. Nickolas referred calls to the publicist; Searle did not return a call for comment.

In addition to Arizona's two ballot measures, the group gave about $11,500 to support House Speaker Andy Tobin's re-election bid. So far, the group has also donated $57,000 to independent committees working to elect Republicans to the Arizona Legislature.

Pedersen questioned why out-of-state donors would care about Prop. 204.

"It just is discouraging to have a citizens' effort, that again is being led by a bunch of volunteer parents, up against this kind of political machinery," Pedersen said. "And not even just from in-state folks, but from people out of state, and we have no idea who they are, what their motives are and why they're trying to buy an election."

In contrast, she said, the "yes" campaign discloses all its donors. Only one, the National Education Association, is from out of state. In that instance, she said, the public knows what the NEA is: a national teachers union.

She said she believes voters are interested in where the campaign money is coming from.

"I think the special-interest argument makes a difference to (voters,)" she said. But without disclosure, it's impossible to know which interests are playing a role in the closely watched education-sales-tax ballot measure, Pedersen said.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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GOP targets demographic groups that backed Obama in 2008

George P. Bush hopes dissatisfaction with the Obama White House will help him draw young professionals to become donors and activists in the Republican Party.

File photo by Tim Dillon, USA TODAY

George P. Bush addresses the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York.

File photo by Tim Dillon, USA TODAY

George P. Bush addresses the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The grandson of former president George H.W. Bush and son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the younger Bush is setting up chapters of his Texas-based Maverick PAC in several key swing states to try to mobilize young Republicans.

Bush's group is one of several Republican efforts underway to try to peel away parts of the coalition that helped Barack Obama win the presidency in 2008 and organizers pledge each is bigger and more thorough than in years past.

Women, Hispanics and young voters are among the demographic groups where Obama beat Sen. John McCain last cycle and areas where many Republicans believe they can pull disaffected voters into their camp come November.

The Obama campaign has no intention of ceding those groups that helped it win the White House, and have a number of micro-targeting operations of its own. The Obama campaign website has separate pages for women, youth, "Jewish Americans," and more.

But with an uncertain economic environment and nearly seven months of campaigning to go, Republicans are convinced that with time, money and boots on the ground, this election could be different.

Bush and Jay Zeidman, a former staffer in the George W. Bush administration, began MavPAC several years ago but this year are poised to spend more than $1 million to "go out and target younger Americans and get them engaged in politics."

MavPAC is now opening chapters in traditionally Republican states that Obama carried, such as North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana.

The group caters to individuals who are out of college, want to be politically involved but are not yet ready to write huge checks to support candidates.

Bush acknowledged that Obama won younger voters across all demographic lines in 2008, in part through vigorous outreach, and as a result "that is part of our goal, to mitigate that margin."

"For the majority of our members this is the first time they have participated financially in the political process," Zeidman said.

"Young people need to be at least at the table and be part of the debate because otherwise these huge, looming questions with respect to the $17 trillion debt are going to be decided by people that don't have as much of a stake in it as we do," Bush said.

While not affiliated with any other Republican organizations, the MavPAC effort mirrors strategies taking place on a larger scale.

Last week, the Republican National Committee and the campaign of likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney launched a full court press to convince female voters that the Obama administration has been bad for women.

The reason: several recent polls, including a CNN poll released Monday, have shown Romney significantly trailing Obama among female voters.

On Monday the RNC made it clear Hispanics will also be a focal point of its 2012 campaign.

"We are going to engage Hispanics and Latinos like we've never done before," said RNC Chairman Reince Preibus in a conference call with reporters. The RNC is placing on-the-ground Hispanic outreach coordinators in six battleground states — Florida, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia and North Carolina — to promote the Republican economic agenda in particular.

The conference call occurred the day after NBC reported Romney had been overheard at a Florida fundraising event saying "We have to get Hispanic voters to vote for our party."

The Obama campaign on Wednesday rolled out a major Hispanic outreach effort of its own.

The commitment of resources to less traditional Republican voters may not pay dividends right away, said Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center. He warned that even if they are mobilized by one party they still may vote for another.

Keeter said Democrats should not take young and Latino voters for granted.

"The (recession) has hit both of these groups very hard," he said.

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