Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported that local Republicans are courting Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins Jr to run against Senator Kennedy. Now, I've got nothing against the Sheriff, and I don't know anything more about him than what I saw on Greater Boston last week. It's seems Cousins has been the target of some racist remarks posted on the Correctional Officer's Internet message board. He came off very well in his conversation with Emily Rooney, and the lawyer for the Correctional Officer's Union who rebutted the charges the next night came off as one of the more loathsome members of his profession. In any event, in the Globe article, this passage stood out:
In August, Cousins met with a coordinator from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to a GOP official. The committee can provide $35,000 in cash and unlimited indirect expenditures, such an independent ads or operations through the state party to help a GOP senate candidate.I know it's early for predictions, but I think it's pretty safe to say that the NRSC is not going to make Massachusetts a campaign priority in 2006. Oh sure, they'll mention that they're fighting Ted Kennedy in their fundraising letters, but if Cousins, or whoever ends up running against Senator Kennedy sees more than a pittance from the National GOP, I'd be surprised. They've got too many races where they need to spend money on open seats and defending vulnerable incumbents like Rick Santorum (R-PA) in Pennsylvania who is polling well below his Democratic challenger and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) who must weather challenges from both the left and the right next year. Other Senators including Jim Talent (R-MO), John Kyl (R-AZ) and John Ensign (R-NV) are already facing strong challengers. Granted, the GOP seems to have bottomless campaign coffers, but I doubt they're going to throw money away in a guaranteed loss, just so a local Sheriff can raise his statewide profile.
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