Tag: right to rise
Endorse This: Jeb’s Super PAC Man Now Speaking

Endorse This: Jeb’s Super PAC Man Now Speaking

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So what exactly does somebody say after wasting over $100 million trying to elect Jeb Bush?

GOP strategist Mike Murphy, who headed up the Right to Rise super PAC, appeared Monday on Fox News to talk about exactly what went wrong: It was the media — and the voters.

“Well, I think Jeb got a bit of a hard treatment from the media,” Murphy said. “He had the misfortune of being the kind of quality, issues-experienced candidate in a year where people seem to be looking for a circus — and Jeb doesn’t wear clown shoes. But you know, on we go. The voters are always right, as they say, and now they’ve gotta pick somebody.”

Murphy is now looking to help the efforts to consolidate against Trump — which might just be good news for The Donald.

Video viaFox News.

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Republicans Are Way Ahead — In SuperPAC Money

Republicans Are Way Ahead — In SuperPAC Money

The 2016 election is turning into a crowded marathon — and a mad dash for money. And while a certain Democratic frontrunner might be ahead in the polls, it turns out that Republicans are actually in the lead in the money race.

In the post-Citizens United world, campaign fundraising has become bifurcated, split between the candidates themselves and the “SuperPACs” — separate organizations that technically don’t coordinate with candidates, but effectively are farmed out to raise a lot of money to run ads that support a specific candidate and/or trash their opponents. And this route is where Republicans are really outpacing the Democrats.

With 15 declared candidates, Republicans, of course, have a much larger and seemingly more competitive field than the Democrats. So a lot of that money will end up being spent on candidates who won’t actually make it to the ballot on November 8, 2016. On the other hand, all that primary spending could still have some effect in building up Republican mobilization overall.

Hillary Clinton raised $45 million for her campaign — by far the largest amount going directly to a campaign committee at this stage of the race. Add to that $15.6 million by the pro-Clinton SuperPAC, Priorities USA, and Clinton’s overall strength is roughly $62 million.

But look over on the other side of the field: Jeb Bush’s campaign committee raised $11.4 million — while his Right to Rise USA SuperPAC announced that it’s raised a total of $103 million so far this year. This brings Jeb’s effective total fundraising haul to an intimidating lucre of $114 million — nearly twice the overall financing for Clinton. No other candidate even comes close to Jeb Bush’s campaign finance structure, which is weighted so heavily outside of the official campaign itself.

Bernie Sanders surprised the political world when he raised $15 million, the closest of any possible Democratic competitors against Clinton. Sanders has also said he does not want any SuperPAC. However, as The Washington Post reports, at least one supporter out there is trying to start one up and get billionaire support.

Trailing way behind Sanders on the Democratic side is Martin O’Malley, who raised $2 million.

Among other Republican candidates besides Bush, there are also some impressive hauls that even approach Clinton’s. Ted Cruz has raised $14 million, plus $37 million by his friendly SuperPAC, for $51 million overall. Marco Rubio brought in about $13 million on his own, plus $32 million raised by two different outside groups, for a total of $45 million.

And even among candidates who weren’t in the race as of last quarter, there have been impressive showings by SuperPACs. Chris Christie’s allies brought in $11 million. And a group supporting John Kasich — who still isn’t in the race yet — brought in $11.5 million.

Photo: Jeb Bush, May 16, 2015, iprimages via Flickr

Jeb Bush’s Campaign Headquarters In Waiting Sees Flurry Of Activity

Jeb Bush’s Campaign Headquarters In Waiting Sees Flurry Of Activity

By Patricia Mazzei and Nicholas Nehamas, Miami Herald (TNS)

MIAMI — There’s no “Jeb Bush for President” sign — at least, not yet — outside the sturdy, six-story office building on West Flagler Street. But inside, the former Florida governor’s political team has begun to organize his likely 2016 Republican presidential bid.

Bush’s political action committee, Right to Rise, recently leased space on two floors of the Flagler Corporate Center at 9250 W. Flagler St. in West Miami-Dade County. For now, they remain a campaign headquarters in need of a campaign since Bush has yet to formalize his candidacy.

“Welcome,” reads a placard with Right to Rise’s logo on it inside the building’s lobby, past a security desk that asks visitors to sign in and provide identification before they walk in. Two more Right to Rise signs point to the PAC’s offices on the fifth and sixth floors.

As an unofficial candidate, Bush has been raising big money at events hosted by his PAC and super PAC, both named Right to Rise. Once he launches his campaign, Bush will be limited in his ability to coordinate with the deep-pocketed super PAC, which is nevertheless expected to take an unprecedented role in the race, though it won’t be physically housed with Bush’s operation.

Bush’s communications staff and some of his finance team have already moved into the newly leased Miami headquarters. Team Jeb has only leased a small portion of the building. But it seems ready to house a large operation: It has ample parking and an atrium cafeteria. A large American flag hangs over the fifth-floor balcony.

The 600,000-square-foot building, constructed in 1974, was known until recently as the FP&L Center for its main tenant, Florida Power & Light. While more than half the offices remain under FPL control, other tenants have been moving in since the building was sold last year and began undergoing renovations, said Gordon Messinger, the building’s leasing agent. Messinger said that he leased about 30,000 square feet to Bush’s PAC, though that is likely to grow as needed.

“They’re moving slowly in,” Messinger said. “They’ll be there for as long as the campaign is there.”

Offices in the building have been listed for rent at $26 per square foot, but Messinger wouldn’t say whether that’s the rate being charged to Right to Rise. Commercial property in ritzier neighborhoods — along Brickell Avenue or in Coral Gables, where Bush lives — goes for significantly higher, sometimes more than $40 a square foot, Messinger said.

Bush’s headquarters will be closer to the home of the only declared local presidential candidate so far, Republican Senator Marco Rubio. Rubio lives in West Miami, about four miles away. Bush is about seven miles away — a 20-minute drive going against rush-hour traffic. Rubio’s team is running his campaign, for now, from Washington, D.C.

Bush previously had a mile-long, five-minute commute to his private office at the Biltmore Hotel. His staff has been relocating to the Miami area — chiefly the Gables — over the past few weeks in preparation for a campaign launch.

At the more budget-friendly location, Bush’s staff won’t be part of the shiny downtown Miami skyline, or anywhere near the beach. Instead, they’ll be close to the city of Sweetwater — which was founded by Russian circus midgets and later became known as Little Managua after its sizable Nicaraguan immigrant population — and south of the city of Doral, Miami-Dade’s industrial center and a Venezuelan- and Colombian-American stronghold.

The building belongs to a corporate entity, Hoffman Flagler LLC, that purchased it for $57.5 million last September. Public corporation records show Hoffman Flagler is jointly owned by Jacob and Abraham Hoffman.

South Florida hasn’t housed a presidential campaign since Bob Graham ran in 2003, out of the northwest suburb of Miami Lakes.

Photo: Jeb Bush via Facebook