Frist says his leadership PAC will be spending
“Over the next eight or nine months, you’ll see a lot of our money spent in support of our great democratic process,” Frist told the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Frist, who is not seeking re-election and is being suggested as a possible presidential candidate, said the political spending is “to attract good people and support them so they will have a voice and be able to spell out their stands on the issue.”
Financial records of Frist’s Volunteer PAC show spending totaled about $537,232 in January, up from an average of about $323,700 per month spent in the last half of 2005, according to the nonpartisan watchdog group Political Money Line.
The biggest expenditure was $366,017 for direct mail and fundraising. The PAC also spent $20,552 on payroll and $18,947 on legal fees, records show.
Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said it is “paramount for him (Frist) to help other members in what is shaping up to be an important and difficult election year for Republicans.”
A major purpose of such a leadership PAC is to build support from other politicians.
“If Frist decides to make a run for the presidency, he hopes he can call in all those favors,” Noble said.
Records show that most of the January dollars were spent on reaching out to more donors. About $8,100 was listed as contributions to candidates and other committees.
Linus Catignani, fundraising consultant for Volunteer PAC, said Frist will make contributions this year to national congressional races, Tennessee elections and local campaigns in other states, as long as resources are available.
“The senator is going to be looking to grow the Republican base wherever he can,” he said. “One of the missions of Vol PAC is to invest in candidates today who can be leaders tomorrow.”
Calvin Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said Volunteer PAC will build loyalty among Republicans and deepen Frist’s political organization. The PAC activity allows Frist to develop donors and a staff capable of funding and managing another election, he said.
“As a presidential candidate, he has to thicken up his fundraising base,” Jillson said. “And he is clearly gearing up a fundraising operation that will stay in place after he leaves the Senate.”
Jillson said Frist must expand his fundraising capacities beyond Tennessee. For January, Tennessee donated the most money to Volunteer PAC, records show. Florida and New York were close behind, with residents of each state giving more than $20,000 each to the PAC.
Jillson said the PAC’s financial activity and Frist’s defiance of the Bush administration’s controversial port deal with a Middle Eastern company show Frist is working to create his own credentials as an independent voice in the GOP.
Catignani said Frist has not made a decision regarding a White House run in 2008.
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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com