Sessions Says Majority Within Reach
NRCC chair Pete Sessions is the latest member of House GOP leadership to declare the party is within reach of the majority — and he said he won’t have succeeded at the NRCC if the party doesn’t take back the Speaker’s gavel.
“We believe we speak forthrightly about winning back the majority and retiring Nancy Pelosi,” Sessions told reporters today. Later, he added: “Anything less, I did not fulfill my mission statement. And as you heard me say before, I’m not in the least bit interested in coming in second.”
Sessions pointed to a national atmosphere that favors GOPers, with polls showing the party leading the generic Congressional ballot and showing Pres. Obama’s approval rating hovering under 50% — a critical measure of the incumbent party’s chances in a general election.
House GOP leaders chafe at the Dem notion that the minority is a party without ideas, and Sessions said the GOP would have a Contract with America-like document to show voters before Election Day rolls around, slated to be revealed after Labor Day.
“We will draw a picture, with this contract, of the exact direction that we will head,” Sessions said. “We will draw a specific picture of the expectations of the performance of a Republican majority, and it will be very directional.”
GOPers are upbeat about their recruiting, which they say proves they are no longer a regional party. A total of 121 GOP challengers will report having at least $200K in the bank already, an indication of the party’s strength.
And despite trailing Dems in fundraising, Sessions pointed to earlier reports that show Dems didn’t have to outspend their GOP rivals in ’06 and ’08 to win. Meanwhile, Sessions said, the party is working well with the RNC, even though the national committee has been plagued by its own money troubles. So far, the RNC has transferred $2M each to the NRCC and the NRSC.
“They are doing their fair share, to the limit of their ability. I’m sure they will help us,” Sessions said.
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