Tom Cole

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.