Freedom's Watch

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The participation of the conservative advocacy group Freedom’s Watch in House races across the country this cycle is a good thing for the Republican Party, National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Cole said in an interview here this week.

“I’m glad they’re out there,” Cole said of the organization, which is heavily funded by Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. “I’m glad that some people understand what the stakes are and are willing to come and help.”

Freedom’s Watch, which launched in 2007, has been running radio and television advertisements taking aim at Democratic candidates in competitive House contests for months. The organization is also targeting U.S. Senate contests, albeit to a lesser extent.

Freedom’s Watch isn’t allowed to coordinate with the NRCC, but Adelson’s dollars have helped to fill a resource gap which separates the Republicans from their Democratic counterparts. Fundraising reports show the NRCC trailing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by a nearly four-to-one ratio in cash on hand.

DENVER – It’s no secret that U.S. Rep. Shelly Berkley (D-Las Vegas) and casino executive Sheldon Adelson aren’t the best if friends.

As the Las Vegas Sun and others have documented, the feud dates back to the 1990s. When Berkley, who once served under Adelson as vice president of Las Vegas Sands Corp., ran for congress in 1998, Adelson released private documents from Berkley’s tenure at the company suggesting that Berkley had encouraged Adelson to provide favors for elected officials.

Then, earlier this year, Freedom’s Watch, an Adelson-sponsored conservative organization, ran robocalls accusing Berkley of opposing troops in Iraq.

Standing outside a breakfast for Nevada delegates today at the Marriott hotel, the five-term congresswoman declined to comment on her feud with Adelson. But she didn’t hesitate to take a shot at Freedom’s Watch, suggesting the organization disclose its donor list.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s independent expenditure arm is announcing plans to air competing radio advertisements targeting Freedom’s Watch, the conservative advocacy group heavily funded by Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

The ads are set to begin airing Friday. A DCCC spokesperson did not provide information on the size of the ad buy.

“Democrats will not allow Freedom’s Watch to mislead voters,” said Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the DCCC.

The announcement comes one day after Freedom’s Watch announced plans to launch radio and television advertisements targeting Democrats nationwide.

Freedom’s Watch, the conservative advocacy organization heavily funded by Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson, is hitting the airwaves with a television and radio ad buy targeting Democratic House candidates across the country.

It is Freedom Watch’s single largest advertising purchase since the organization aired ads earlier this year in a Mississippi special election, according to a source familiar with the buy. The size of the buy is in the mid-six figures.

The ads take aim at Democratic incumbents, challengers, and open seat candidates. Ads airing on broadcast television are targeting U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) while ads on cable stations are taking aim at U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas).

Radio ads, meanwhile, are targeting Michigan 7th Congressional District candidate Mark Schauer, Ohio 15th Congressional candidate Mary Jo Kilroy, Idaho 1st Congressional Candidate Walt Minnick, Missouri 6th Congressional District candidate Kay Barnes, New York 29th Congressional District candidate Eric Massa, New Mexico 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich, Ohio 16th Congressional District candidate John Boccieri, U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), U.S. Rep. Chris Carney (D-Penn.) and U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux (D-La.).

If it’s Friday afternoon, it's a schoolyard fight between the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee vs. Freedom’s Watch.

Think Mean Girls meets the Potomac.

It’s no secret that the DCCC and Freedom’s Watch, the conservative advocacy organization heavily funded by Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson, are not exactly the best of friends. This week, in response to a series of attacks Freedom’s Watch has launched targeting Democratic House candidates across the country, the committee went live with a website titled “The Real Freedom’s Watch,” which aims to detail the ties between the group and the Bush administration.

"If you ever wondered what the Bush political team is up to this campaign season, you need look no farther than the team behind Freedom's Watch. Their goal is clear -- to preserve Bush's legacy by delivering a third Bush term," U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (R-Md.), the chairman of the DCCC, said in a statement announcing the launch of the site.

On one part of the site is a listing the connections between the Freedom’s Watch and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The site notes, for example, that Adelson is a past contributor to the committee and that former NRCC staffer Carl Forti is now working at Freedom’s Watch. The site also notes that the Freedom’s Watch press secretary is Ed Patru, another former NRCC employee.

Las Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and his right-leaning advocacy group Freedom's Watch could be key in financing Republican campaigns across the country, according toa story in the Wall Street Journal.

As PolitickerNV.com reported, Freedom's Watch targeted congressional candidate and state Sen. Dina Titus (D-Henderson) earlier this month with a series of robocalls highlighting her lack of action on Nevada's high gas prices. In June, the group aimed at Rep. Shelley Berkley with allegations that she doesn't back U.S. troops.

State Sen. Dina TitusState Sen. Dina Titus, a Democratic state lawmaker running for Congress is being targeted by a new series of robocalls about gas prices from Freedom's Watch, the conservative-leaning advocacy group. The calls, which will begin today, will go out to residents represented by Titus.

"Hi, this is an emergency gas price alert from Freedom's Watch. Did you know Nevada gas taxes add more than 32 cents to every gallon of gas? 32 cents!" an announcer intones on the calls going out to voters in Titus' district. The call then asks what Titus is doing to address the issue. "Nothing," announcer says.

"If we can't depend on Dina Titus to stand up for us today, when can we count on her?" asks the call targeting Titus.

It is nothing new to stretch the truth when running a campaign. However, Sheldon Adelson's right-wing group Freedom's Watch is running a robocall campaign against U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) that is so far from the truth that it deserves a post of its own.

Freedom's Watch has a call that hits Berkley for not supporting the troops. The truth on this issue is that Berkley has proactive and steadfast in her support of Nevada's troops time after time.

Our home town favorite Sheldon Adelson is gaining unwanted infamy in a series of DCCC ads.

Politico is reporting that the ad campaign establishes Adelson as the George Soros of the right, and ties Bible-belt GOP candidates to a gambling empire with ads that feature the candidate with a superimposed photo placed "onto images of a slot machine and a singer wearing gold lamé."