Meadows Wins Straw Poll in Transylvania County

On February 11, 2012, the Transylvania County Republican party hosted a candidate forum in the 11th Congressional District Republican Primary and held a straw poll.

I've been waiting to post this information until I had an actual vote tally to report.This morning I received a tally in a personal communication with a member of the Transylvania County GOP.

Here it is:


25 Mark Meadows
15 Jeff Hunt
7 Kenny West
4 Vance Patterson
3 Dr. Dan Eichenbaum
1 Spence Campbell
1 Ethan Wingfield
0 Susan Harris
0 Chris Petrella

If anyone took video of the forum, they have yet to post it online. If they do, I'll embed it here.

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Dan Eichenbaum Decides Not to File

Dan Eichenbaum Photo Credit: Bobby Coggins

Dr Dan Eichenbaum has decided not to file for election in the 11th Congressional District Republican Primary. Here is the announcement I just received in my email:

With the filing deadline upon us, having spent many of the past days in prayer and discussions with family and friends, I have decided that I will not file for US Congress in North Carolina’s 11th District.


Over the past several months of the campaign, listening to the other candidates for Congress in NC 11, I find increasingly little difference, on paper or in words, between the positions I have consistently held and theirs. More importantly, I am unable to self-fund sufficiently to compete against those who can. As such, I see no clear path to victory in the primary.


I wish to extend my appreciation to my wife and my children, my team, family, friends and all who have supported me in my political endeavors over the past two election cycles. My thanks and appreciation go out to the Asheville Tea Party, Blue Ridge Tea Party Patriots, Cherokee County 9-12 Project, the FairTax organization, and other grassroots organizations who, standing firm on conservative principles, refuse to give in to pressure from the establishment of both political parties.


I extend my deepest heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Jane Bilello, Chair of the Asheville Tea Party and Asheville Tea Pac, for her unwavering commitment to saving our nation at great personal sacrifice.


For those candidates seeking the support of grassroots groups, especially those affiliated with the iCaucus, I urge you to submit to its vetting process. Evaluation and approval of your platform by independent groups gives citizens of this district the ability to hold you accountable for your actions in Washington, D.C.


Be assured, I will continue to champion private property rights, Constitutionally limited government, personal responsibility, fiscal restraint, individual liberty, and a free market economy based on the principles of sound monetary policy.


I remain passionately committed to educating everyone I can on the urgency of repealing ObamaCare in January 2013, and spreading awareness about Agenda 21, the United Nation’s incremental plan to take away US citizen's private property rights and, ultimately, US sovereignty.


As patriots, we must resist with vigor the elitists in the current administration and their fellow travelers in both parties who seek to steal our birthright of Freedom and replace it with the tyranny of Socialism.


May God Bless America.






Trust in Freedom,


Dr Dan Eichenbaum

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NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race July 27, 2011 Update

This is the first fundraising report of the 2012 11th Congressional Race. I expect to be filing these every quarter, more often if the situation warrants.

The Republican candidates are announcing for this office much earlier than they traditionally have in the past, perhaps spurred on by the promise of a newly redrawn district that is favorable to electing a Republican coupled with the realization that announcing in September doesn't really give a campaign time to train, equip and deploy an effective team of campaigners and fundraisers. With that being said, I'm not sure that any of the Republicans will be able to assemble a team anywhere as effective as Congressman Heath Shuler has...primarily because of sharp ideological divisions in the local Republican Party in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina has left the Republican political talent of the district in opposing camps.


Leaving ideologies alone for the moment, here is how the race looks from a fundraising standpoint, from records provided by the Federal Elections Commission:






Congressman Heath Shuler
Amount Raised in Quarter: $48,050
Cash on Hand: $248,338.84
Debts: $0





Dr Dan Eichenbaum
Amount Raised in Quarter: $0
Cash on Hand: $89.74
Debts: $100,000 (loans made by candidate to his campaign during 2010 primary)





Cecil Bothwell
Amount Raised in Quarter: No data available from FEC
Cash on Hand: No data available from FEC
Debts: No data available from FEC




Spence Campbell
Amount Raised in Quarter: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter
Cash on Hand: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter
Debts: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter

Jeff Hunt (candidate appears to not have a website at this time) 
**7.38pm** CORRECTION: He does have a website.
Amount Raised in Quarter: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter
Cash on Hand: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter
Debts: Had Not Filed Run During Quarter


The race is young, and we'll have clearer picture of things in three months, and an even better one six months from now.


The current standing of the money ace:


$245,338.84 Congressman Heath Shuler (Democrat)
$0 Cecil Bothwell (Democrat) He filed first, so until more data becomes available, I'm listing him first
$0 Spence Campbell  (Republican) 
$0 Jeff Hunt (Republican)
$-99,910.26 Dr Dan Eichenbaum (Republican)  


Here are PDFs of the FEC Reports filed in the 11th District Congressional Race for the April 1 to June 30 Quarter:


Shuler FEC Report April 01 to June 30, 2011


Eichenbaum FEC Report April 01 to June 30, 2011

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Press Release From Jeff Miller Regarding Dan Eichenbaum's Broken Promise of Support & Endorsement

Press Release
Jeff Miller 2010 GOP candidate for Congress 
11th Congressional District of North Carolina

July 13, 2011

Hendersonville, NC

In response to the announcement that Dr. Dan Eichenbaum is once again seeking the Republican nomination for Congress from NC-11, I find it unfortunate but necessary for the voters to know that he was the only one of my primary opponents to break his commitment to the primary voters to endorse and support the winner of that primary.

All six 2010 candidates made the same promise not only to each other - but much more importantly - to the voters.  We promised them that no matter who won we would endorse and support the eventual winner in the contest against Heath Shuler.

Jake Howard, Ed Krause, Greg Newman, and Kenny West each kept their word.  Dr. Eichenbaum never did.

I have seen statements by Dr. Eichenbaum in recent days that appear designed to muddy this point.  To be clear, there is no gray area- Dr. Eichenbaum failed this most basic test of honor and commitment to the voters.

This is not about me or the results of the last campaign.  I do not think Dr. Eichebaum's endorsement or support would have changed the outcome.  It is about the voters and the fact that they deserve to have candidates keep their commitments to them.

Jeff Miller
2010 Republican Congressional Candidate

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Erika Franzi, Tim Peck Resign From Asheville Tea Party and ATPAC

PRESS RELEASE






It is with great reluctance to announce that Founder, Erika Franzi, and Board member, Tim Peck have resigned from Asheville Tea Party and Asheville Tea PAC. It has been Erika's vision, leadership and unwavering belief in our mission that propelled the
Asheville Tea Party and the Asheville Tea PAC to its successes, presence and influence.


It is hard to measure the countless hours and tireless effort that Tim Peck has devoted to both organizations. There are few who are as philosophically astute and grounded in our founding documents as Tim. He was always a guidepost.


They both have left a legacy that will guide the Asheville Tea Party and the Asheville Tea PAC going forward.


That legacy of accomplishments includes:

 

That legacy of accomplishments includes:

• building two organizations, the Asheville Tea Party and the  Asheville Tea PAC
• redesigning the organization to a project oriented structure
• rallying for our rights
• e-mailing and phoning campaigns to our representatives
• meeting with Congressman Heath Schuler and Senator Kay Hagan to voice our concerns over the Health Care Bill
• unveiling journalistic conflicts of interest in the press
• educating us about our Founding Documents by organizing forums and speeches
• attending the National Tea Party Conference and giving presentations
• implementing a successful pre-primary debate for the District 11 Congressional candidates
• supporting Congressional candidate Dr. Dan Eichenbaum in the 2010 Primary to within single digits of victory
• endorsing, campaigning, and successfully getting four of ATPACs endorsed candidates elected in November, 2010
• educating the public and our subscribers to the Independence Caucus candidate assessment process in a forum with IC founder, Frank Anderson
• influencing Asheville City Council to put on hold their annexation plans of Royal Pines for twelve months
• revealing the excessive expenses the Airport Authority was spending to send people to an airport conference in Maui
• sending bus loads to DC to gather with more than 1.2 million other patriots on the Mall
• gathering patriots for the first successful "We Read The Constitution" Day

We will do our best to continue the fine work Erika and Tim have begun and to bring this country back to the place our Founders would be proud.  We wish them good health and success in their next endeavors. 

###

Hat Tip: @Tim Peck

Commentary

Erika Franzi has been a passionate political activist since the Ron Paul run for President in 2008 and her entry into blogging in late 2008 with her Jane Q Republican (http://janeqrepublican.com) blog (since changed to Jane Q Public). She was one of the founders of the Asheville Tea Party in and its political fund raising arm, ATPAC. She was a vocal supporter of Dr Dan Eichenbaum during the 11th Congressional District Republican party 2010 primary. Since then, she has been involved in a sometimes very public series of attacks on the chairman of the Buncombe County Republican party, Chad Nesbitt...who is himself no stranger to launching very public attacks on political opponents. My personal opinion on the matter is that some of these attacks were designed to hurt the winner of the Republican primary, Jeff Miller. She found a willing accomplice in the Mountain Xpress online community. She also has had a period of bad health recently. The Asheville Tea Party and ATPAC will be better off without her involvement.

I wish her luck in her new endeavors and good health in the future. 

Tim Peck is another matter. He has had a history of generating controversy that is far too long to go into detail  here. Suffice it to say that the Asheville Tea Party and ATPAC will be better off without him. I would, however, like to see him to continue commenting on public forums. He does have a knack for generating extreme rage in progressives. See this screenshot of the thread dedicated to mocking him by the progressives on the Mountain Xpress Forums.

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Jim Davis Appearance on Dr Dan's Freedom Forum

**Note** Some people have reported issues with getting the video to play. Click here to see if it will work on Ustream. If it doesn't work there, then the problem in with Ustream.

Dr Jim Davis appeared on Dr Dan Eichenbaum's Freedom Forum tonight, and here is the video of the conversation he had about his political philosophy and his campaign.

Visit the Jim Davis for NC Senate website to find out how you can help his campaign.

Jim Davis is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Also, you can visit Dr Dan's website to find out what he has been up to since the May primary.

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Jeff Miller Wins Six-Way Primary With 40.15 %; Dan Eichenbaum Calls for Recount

The image above tells the story (or true 'portrait' if you will) of the Republican Primary in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina. 


Eichenbaum has called for a recount. I'll keep you updated on how that goes. 


I offer my congratulations to Jeff Miller and his team on their well-earned victory. I look forward to see how they plan to tackle Heath Shuler in the General Election. 


One more question, how long will it take for the other candidates to endorce Jeff Miller, or will they go back on their pledge to support the winner of the primary? (Don't make me go to the video tape...)

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NC-11 Congressional Money Race Review

We are now in the final days of a hotly contested race, with six good men vying for an opportunity to take on Congressman Heath Shuler. Early voting has been taking place for the last few weeks and Judgement Day is May 4th, 2010. By sometime that evening, we'll find out if we have a clear winner, or if none get over 40%, if we will have a runoff election on June 22, 2010. 


In my personal opinion, none of them have shown an ability to raise money commensurate with taking on an entrenched Congress Critter. Here are the latest numbers that have been filed with FEC:


Total Raised


$691,209 Heath Shuler
$128,930 Jeff Miller
$123,694 Dan Eichenbaum
$37,045  Greg Newman


Total Raised from Individuals


$297,471 Heath Shuler
$116,930 Jeff Miller
$21,117  Dan Eichenbaum
$17,045  Greg Newman


Total Candidate Self-Financing


$102,577 Dan Eichenbaum
$20,000   Greg Newman
$12,000   Jeff Miller
$0             Heath Shuler




Also, Heath Shuler has raised $365,171 from PACs. His current cash on hand dwarfs all his Republican challengers put together.


A lot of attention has been paid to the money race on this blog as a kind of barometer of public support and the ability (desire?) of the candidates to go out and get the type of money that will get their message out to potential voters in the district. Several of the candidates (and campaign staff) have shown an unconscionable level of incompetence in this area.


Fundraising is just one of the tools we have available to us as a way of looking at the candidates and their staff as they audition for the job of taking on our resident Congress Critter.


Another way of looking at candidates that can tell us about their political journey is to look at what candidates and political causes they've given to in the past. It can provide us with another piece of the puzzle.


Here is what I've been able to find in the FEC data regarding the above candidates (in alphabetical order):




Dan Eichenbaum [Campaign Website]

Date of Donation	Amount Donated	Recepient of Donation
7-12-2000	$250	Libertarian National Committee
10-12-2002	$250	Libertarian National Committee
1-24-2008	$250	ORTHPAC
2-12-2008	$125	ORTHPAC
8-26-2008	$250	Libertarian National Committee
10-20-2009	$2,000	Dr Dan 4 Congress
11-18-2009	$250	Republican National Committee
12-27-2009	$250	Dr Dan 4 Congress
1-12-2010	$10,000	Dr Dan 4 Congress
2-28-2010	$285	Buncombe County Republican Party
3-01-2010	$20,000	Dr Dan 4 Congress
3-31-2010	$70,000	Dr Dan 4 Congress

ORTHPAC is Political Action Committee,  namely promoting the interests of eyecare providers and ophthalmologists in the field of politics.


List of candidates ORTHPAC donated to in 2007-2008 Cycle
List of candidates ORTHPAC donated to in 2009-2010 Cycle, including:


Heath Shuler $2,500 [2007-2008]; Nancy Pelosi $5,000 [every cycle]; Harry Reid $10,000 [2009-2010] along with many other Democrats [45%] and Republicans [55%].


This is one reason, as a general rule, I do not donate to PACs, because you never know who they'll be giving money to, and I don't want some of my money going to politicians I disagree with on so many issues.


There also seems to be a national trend among Republican candidates who are challenging established incumbents to not accept donations from PACs.


Jeff Miller [Campaign Website]

Date of Donation	Amount Donated	Recipient of Donation
2-23-2005	$250	George W Bush
8-02-2005	$200	Charles Taylor
7-27-2006	$200	Charles Taylor
10-20-2006	$500	Charles Taylor
10-18-2007	$1,000	Spence Campbell
3-27-2008	$500	Spence Campbell
10-30-2008	$500	Elizabeth Dole
9-30-2009	$1,000	Richard Burr
2-03-2010	$12,000	Jeff Miller for Congress
2-28-2010	$375	Buncombe County Republican Party

Greg Newman [Campaign Website]

Date of Donation	Amount Donated	Recipient of Donation
7-21-2006	$200	Charles Taylor
4-19-2009	$2,000	11th Congressional District Republican Party
2-17-2010	$490	Buncombe County Republican Party
3-16-2010	$20,000	Greg Newman for Congress

Heath Shuler His Campaign Website is not up yet, but I expect it be shortly


If he has given to a political campaign, I've not been able to find it. Seems this guy never cared enough to give to a political cause or candidate.








The other candidates, save James Howard, in this race have virtually no record of donations that I can find outside of donating to the BCGOP in order to attend their Lincoln-Reagan Dinner this year.


Conclusions and Commentary

Data for this post came from a number of sources, including Open Secrets, Congress.Org, the Federal Elections Commission and News Meat. Any errors from the original sources are mine [I'm bad to transpose numbers], so if you see any glaring errors, please drop me a note in the comments, and I'll correct them.

What do these numbers tell us? I think that they tell us what a candidate has cared deeply about in the past, and from that, we can trace a history of donations and draw some generalized conclusions. 

Generally, about half the people eligible in this country vote. Less than a quarter of eligible voters (I'm being very generous here) tend to vote in primaries. Even fewer people give to political causes or campaigns. I've seen no hard numbers, but from what I've seen during my time of crawling the FEC database, I'd have to say that figure is around 1%. 

The people who give to campaigns are either the most ideologically driven, or wealthy enough to hope for gaining some influence in policy if their candidate, or roster of candidates, wins.

Previously:

NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race
April 21, 2010 Update

NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race
April 20, 2010 Update

Money is Important in Congressional Races

NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race Update

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11th District Republican Party 2010 Convention Congressional Candidates Campaign Speeches

Republican delegates gathered in the Charles M. Beall Auditorium on the campus of Haywood Community College on Saturday for the 2010 Party Convention this past Saturday to conduct party business. Thankfully, there were no party leadership elections, it wasn't a presidential election year, and there weren't a lot of resolutions that tend to bloom on presidential election years that make a convention drag on until there is no longer a quorum to conduct business because delegates get tired and go home. 


Here are the speeches made by the candidates for Congress at the end of the event, in the order in which they were made:

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NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race April 21, 2010 Update

It looks like I should have waited one more day before posting a fund raising race update. The numbers from Open Secrets for Eichenbaum and Newman are in:

Heath Shuler (D) *

Raised:	$690,709
Spent:	$337,474
Cash on Hand:	$1,296,940
Last Report:	March 31, 2010

	PAC contributions	$364,671	(53%)
	Individual contributions	$297,471	(43%)
	Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
	Other	$28,567	(4%)

Jeff Miller (R)

Raised:	$128,930
Spent:	$102,776
Cash on Hand:	$26,152
Last Report:	April 14, 2010

	PAC contributions	$0	(0%)
	Individual contributions	$116,930	(91%)
	Candidate self-financing	$12,000	(9%)
	Other	$0	(0%)

Dan Eichenbaum (R)

Raised:	$123,694
Spent:	$43,146
Cash on Hand:	$80,548
Last Report:	March 31, 2010

	PAC contributions	$0	(0%)
	Individual contributions	$21,117	(17%)
	Candidate self-financing	$102,577	(83%)
	Other	$0	(0%)

Gregory A. Newman (R)

Raised:	$37,045
Spent:	$34,957
Cash on Hand:	$2,087
Last Report:	March 31, 2010

	PAC contributions	$0	(0%)
	Individual contributions	$17,045	(46%)
	Candidate self-financing	$20,000	(54%)
	Other	$0	(0%)

The others in this race have no report available yet.


So, this gives us a clearer view of the race, and where the candidates stand on their ability to raise money.


I'm disappointed that no one raised more than a quarter million dollars, which I consider the minimal acceptable level for preparing to take out an incumbent like Heath Shuler, especially one who rides the fence on many issues.


**11.30am** I've looked the numbers over, and am blown over that Open Secrets is reporting that Eichenbaum is mostly self-financed. The mantra from that campaign has been grassroots, grassroots, grassroots.

Dan Eichenbaum (R)

Raised:	$123,694
Spent:	$43,146
Cash on Hand:	$80,548
Last Report:	March 31, 2010

	PAC contributions	$0	(0%)
	Individual contributions	$21,117	(17%)
	Candidate self-financing	$102,577	(83%)
	Other	$0	(0%)

If these numbers are correct, then Eichenbaum has only raised $21,117 from individuals...while giving his own campaign $102,577. I'm blown away by that. 


Miller, on the other hand, has raised $116,930 from individuals and has given his own campaign $12,000. I'm blown away by that, because the conventional wisdom had it that Miller paying for his own campaign. These numbers don't support that. 


I've been eagerly awaiting the FEC reports that will detail who gave how much to each campaign. I'd like to have those before the primary on May 4th...




Previously:

NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race
April 20, 2010 Update

Money is Important in Congressional Races

NC-11 Congressional Fundraising Race Update

.

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