GOP Senate Committee Begs for Money (and CO and OR tidbits)

The first item should put a smile on your face:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the fundraising body for GOP Senate candidates, is not just broke but in massive debt. kos has the e-mail appeal from the outgoing NRSC Chair, North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole (who is up in 2008 and has not made clear whether or not she plans to run for re-election), begging contributors to help retire the debt. Basically, Dole led the NRSC into massive debt with the end result being a loss of six seats, a loss of the Senate majority, and not a single D-to-R flip. Nice going, Senator Dole. The Washington Post piece notes that "party committees are required to file postelection financial reports with the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 7." So we'll know by the end of next week exactly how much Senator Dole led the NRSC into debt.

And out west:

Colorado: One of the four Republicans oft mentioned as a stand-in for incumbent Senator Wayne Allard, should Allard choose to retire, is former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis. The Daily Sentinel has McInnis publicly urging Allard to run for another term. This is the best move for McInnis politically as it demonstrates a magnanimous attitude and allegiance to his Party. Meanwhile, Allard isn't going to decide whether to run again or not based on McInnis' urging, so it costs McInnis nothing to gain this goodwill. However, Allard still has incredibly low approval ratings for an incumbent and a relatively small bankroll at this point. Oh yeah, he also pledged to only serve two terms when first elected - meaning that a campaign for re-election in 2008 would be a broken promise. So, I say, "Go for it, Senator Allard!"

Oregon: OregonDem at Swing State Project analyzes what needs to be done to unseat incumbent Republican Gordon Smith.