Cole: Republicans are harnessing Mass. candidate’s outsider message

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Cole called Tuesday’s Massachusetts special election a blueprint for the 2008 cycle and said he is advising candidates to emulate the GOPer in the race by running against Congress this cycle.

{mosads}Democrats, meanwhile, downplayed the national significance of Republican Jim Ogonowski’s six-point loss to Democrat Niki Tsongas in a Democratic-leaning district and said it was void of teachable moments.

“I tell candidates to run against all of Washington, and that includes us,” Cole (R-Okla.) said during a meeting with reporters Wednesday at the NRCC, less than 24 hours after the special election to replace Rep. Marty Meehan (D) was called for Tsongas.

Republicans issued a lengthy memorandum following Ogonowski’s defeat that hailed the results as a repudiation of the Democratic-led Congress and the majority party’s campaign tactics, which included sending House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former President Bill Clinton to campaign for Tsongas and connecting Ogonowski to President Bush.

“The Democrats made a big mistake by sending the Speaker up there,” Cole said. “You’ve got to be careful who you send, even in a state like Massachusetts.”

Democrats said Ogonowski’s 45 percent take wasn’t so surprising given that Republican gubernatorial candidates had won the district in recent years. And they pointed out that he had the financial support of numerous GOPers in Congress, tarnishing his outsider credentials.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokeswoman Carrie James agreed that voters still want change but said Republicans won’t supply it.

Ogonowski ran a Republican-based campaign on Republican issues including Iraq and immigration, James said.

“This race was about Iraq and children’s healthcare versus Washington and immigration,” James said. “No matter how much they try to spin, Republicans are disgruntled, lack the money to compete, and are facing recruitment failures across the country.”

Republicans made the case that the special election signified the end of the Democratic wave but also acknowledged obstacles that remain to making gains next year.

The DCCC announced Wednesday that it raised about $8 million in September, bringing it to $16 million in the third quarter with a cash on hand of $28.3 million and just $2.9 million of debt.

The NRCC declined to release its September numbers on Wednesday, but the committee had more debt than cash at the end of August, and Cole admitted several times that money is a problem.

He stressed that the committee is still raising a competitive amount and suggested the NRCC would be willing to go into debt again if necessary, as it did last cycle to the tune of $15 million.

Member giving, where Democrats hold a large advantage, is an area of particular concern, Cole said.

“I’m on the street corner with a tin cup every day,” Cole said, adding that he’s got to convince them that Republicans can win. “Belief precedes reality.”

James said Republicans would have spent millions on the Massachusetts race if they could have, as they did in California’s 50th district special election in mid-2006.