May 9, 2014

RED ZONE MEMO

FROM: Annie Kelly, NRCC RedZone Director
TO: Interested Parties
SUBJECT: RedZone Anniversary

One year ago today, the NRCC made a unique commitment to seven races across the country that featured Democrats severely out-of-step with their districts.

The NRCC’s Red Zone is at the forefront of our 2014 effort. Each district was won by George W. Bush in 2004, John McCain in 2008, and Mitt Romney in 2012. These members represent what is wrong with Washington and have been a reliable vote for Nancy Pelosi and her liberal agenda.

One year out, the results speak for themselves. Because of our early and aggressive efforts, two Red Zone targets—Jim Matheson (UT-04) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07) — decided to retire rather than face defeat in November. The remaining five have attracted top recruits whose messages are resounding with their districts and are well on their way to victory. Both the Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg Reportcurrently list 3 of our RedZone targets in the Toss-Up column.

After one year, we have made tremendous progress toward ensuring that these districts stay Republican for years to come.

• Arizona’s 1st: There are few Democrats more unapologetic for their support of ObamaCare than Ann Kirkpatrick. First, she voted for the original bill back in 2010. Since coming back to Congress last year, she’s racked up a record that doubles down on the failed law. Just the other day, she admitted she has “consistently voted in favor of” ObamaCare.  Kirkpatrick’s unwavering support for ObamaCare is out-of-step with Arizonans and she is in for rude awakening this November.

• Arizona’s 2nd: Retired Air Force Colonel and A-10 combat pilot Martha McSally is back for a rematch with Ron Barber in what will certainly be one of the most-watched races of 2014. McSally’s message of bringing real leadership and accountability to a broken Washington is clearly resonating with Southern Arizonans. McSally has outraised Barber three straight quarters and is leading in the most recent polling. Now that he is forced to run on his record, Ron Barber will resort to tired and desperate attacks, but the momentum is clearly with McSally.
  

• Georgia’s 12th: You know it’s bad when your own newspaper writes this about your self-serving approach: “On major issues in which the Democratic leadership in Washington is pushing the country to the far left, Barrow has waited until the coast is clear — in other words, until it’s clear the Democrats have enough votes without him — before voting against his party, in order to look good back home.” With his vote for Obama’s failed stimulus program which costs families $800 billion, and his votes to keep the Medicare-slashing ObamaCare, Georgians know that John Barrow is not fighting for them. Georgians have been deceived by the many faces of John Barrow for too long, they are ready for real leadership in Washington.

• Minnesota’s 7th: Long-time Representative Collin Peterson has been in Washington for 23 years. During his lengthy political career, Peterson voted against repealing ObamaCare, was the architect of the Cap-and-Trade energy tax, and broke his commitment to term limits. State Senator Torrey Westrom has a proven record of supporting common sense policies that help Minnesota farmers and families. Raised on a dairy farm near Wilmar and tragically blinded in a farming accident at age 14, Westrom knows the meaning of perseverance and understands that real job creation comes from small businesses and rural values, not Washington mandates.

• North Carolina’s 7th: Early this year, Mike McIntyre saw the writing on the wall and decided to leave rather than lose. North Carolina Republicans recently nominated David Rouzer to fill the seat. How defeated Democrats must feel now that North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, once a competitive race, is almost certain to remain in GOP control for years to come.

• Utah’s 4th: Jim Matheson, narrowly beat Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love by just 769 votes in 2012.  Rather than face her again in 2014 he decided to cut his losses and retire.  Without Matheson, this seat is all but certain to be a solid GOP hold for many years. Mia Love served two terms on the city council of Saratoga Springs before becoming Mayor. Mia’s impressive fundraising prowess and positive message has inspired Utahans, she will be a valued addition the Republican team.

• West Virginia’s 3rd: No matter how hard Nick Rahall tries to lie about his record, his anti-coal stances continue to haunt him. Whether it is his vote for a coal killing carbon tax, his support for Obama’s cap-and-trade plan, or the fact that out-of-state anti-coal billionaires are spending a fortune to keep him in Washington, West Virginia voters have seen the truth about Nick Rahall. Voters have a clear choice in 2014 – Rahall, a beltway dealmaker who will sell out West Virginians for the right price, or Evan Jenkins, a candidate who is committed to fighting for coal and for a better tomorrow for West Virginia. Even more notable, is that Evan Jenkins switched parties to become a Republican. Fed up with Rahall and Obama’s war on coal, Jenkins left the Democratic Party. Rahall and his liberal anti-coal Super PAC friends are already on TV with false negative attacks in a desperate attempt to save his seat.

Bottom Line: These RedZone Democrats are running scared. The failure of President Obama and his signature healthcare law have greatly weakened these endangered incumbents. With some of the RedZone members deciding to leave Congress instead of lose, there is no question the remaining RedZone targets days are numbered in Congress.