HERE COMES THE OUTSIDE MONEY; NEARLY HALF MILLION FOR GROSS
The Lincoln Project, a partisan group that has been called a group of “grifters” dedicated to defeating Republicans, has suddenly decided to back Al Gross for Senate. Gross is running on the Democrats’ ticket against Sen. Dan Sullivan, who has served as one of Alaska’s senators for the past six years.
The group has signaled its intent to play in Alaska’s Senate race by making its initial advertising buy to start running TV ads this week on Gross’ behalf. The Lincoln Project intends to spend $482,000 for TV in Alaska in campaigning on behalf of Gross; it is not allowed to coordinate with his campaign, however.
Gross’s actual campaign has also made a TV buy, to spend more than $800,000 on television ads that will start in September. He is already running ads that refer to Gross as a “renowned orthopedic surgeon.”
This Gross ad buy signals to the national Democrat groups to let them know where he is spending his money — which is mostly in the Fairbanks TV market. And that means the Lincoln Project and other Democrat surrogate groups will take the clue, and run with their efforts in the Anchorage television market, where most of the votes are.
What it all adds up to is that National Democrat groups are here in Alaska now. They’re aiding a candidate who has gained no real ground here. But the media markets are cheap, at least, and they will have an impact down the ballot for the Senate and House races.
The group formed up originally to defeat President Donald Trump but has since branched out to defeat supporters of the president in the U.S. Senate and other Republicans they see as vulnerable.
The group has raised more than $16.8 million and has about 30 employees, according to the Washington Post.
Last week, the Lincoln Project tweeted out Gross’ name and drew tens of thousands of new national followers to Gross’ Twitter account. Presumably that will lead to fundraising for Gross, who has already raised significant funds from national Democrats through the Democrats’ online tool, ActBlue.
Senator Sullivan has a $2 million cash-in-hand advantage and runs on a strong record of success on Alaska priorities. Even Democrat-favored pollster Ivan Moore has Sullivan leading Gross by 13 points. 70 percent of respondents said they don’t know who Gross is.
In another signal to national Democrat groups, Gross loaded stock footage video of himself to YouTube, which will now be lifted by these support groups as they come to his aid. It’s a classic campaign tactic to share information with a third party, when coordination is prohibited by law.
The Lincoln Project has a reputation for being acerbic and at times petty. It likes to ridicule President Trump and get into his head.
But there’s an element of political spite: One of the cofounders of the Lincoln Project was turned down for a role in the 2016 Donald Trump campaign and seems to go where the money is.
“Steve Schmidt, a co-founders of anti-Trump political action group the Lincoln Project, met with then-candidate Donald Trump and tried to join his campaign during a 2016 Manhattan meeting,” according to the Washington Post.
“But the Republican operative — best known for his work on John McCain’s failed presidential bid before becoming one of the faces of the ‘Never Trump’ movement — failed to get the gig because Trump thought he was a ‘total idiot,’ one of the sources said.”
Alaskans recall that Schmidt was responsible for the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for McCain’s running mate, another failed campaign move.
Last month, he took credit for a caper in which his daughter and her friends swamped the RSVPs portal for a Trump rally, and blocked actual would-be attendees from going. That, at least, was a success.
The Lincoln Project has been characterized as a group of political grifters who are skimming money to stay in lavish hotels and pay themselves handsomely, but whose main deliverables appear to be a barrage of Twitter messages.
Dr. Gross has at least one medical ghost in his closet. Word is, during his time as a renouned surgeon, his practice was charging some of the highest professional fees anywhere, without justification other than “the market will bear it.” I’m not sure his handlers were fully briefed before they let the medical expertise message out of the bag.
Of course Outside money is essential for this bafoon. No one in Alaska believes Gross can beat Sullivan.
If I may correct you, that’s “DOCTOR” Al Gross. 🙂
He’s been everywhere, man. He’s done everything. He’s so darn “independent”.
My eye! I have to mute his putrid commercials.
He’ll vote like every other leftist D; the way Chuck the schmuck tells him to.
Gross is a gross democrat. Don’t y’all be fooled!
Can I get a 2nd Sullivan sign for the other side of my driveway?
Yup, they’re coming and with the usual tactics. Pick a Democrat minion and pump their campaign with tons of cash. It’s funny…the very people who complain about privilege, income inequality, abolishing billionaires, etc always have lots of money to throw around. Imagine would they could do for the homeless, the hungry, our inner cities, education… if they used these funds for noble purposes.
Try as you might to discredit the Lincoln Project, but cracks are starting to open, and widen, in the GOP base.
At long last, Conservatives with a conscience are calling out a President whose ego has no limit, and whose shame has no bottom.
The Trump era will end at high noon on 20 January, 2021, and this little nightmare will finally be over.
And the Hiden Biden nightmare will begin if President Trump loses. You should be well prepared to lose all your wealth to Biden’s wealth distribution plan. That is, if you are not a minority or female. Read his economic plan. Total wealth distribution to everyone except White males.
Mr. Boyle, you are missing the point of nominating a moderate, Biden, instead of a radical Left candidate for the Presidency. He can and will draw votes away from disaffected Republicans, and he won’t buy-in to the hard Left’s desire for the extreme wealth redistribution that you fear.
I’ll check back with you in five years or so, after Biden’s first term, just to verify that both my and your wealth is still safely tucked away in our bank accounts.
You should try to keep in touch with reality, instead of watching so much Fox, Rush, Laura, et al…
I’m really going to enjoy watching communists, excuse me, Democrats cry again.
Hahaha, same here! It’s hard to believe that anyone thinks Biden can win the WH when he’s not even worthy of a city dog catchers position.
I wouldn’t call on Dr. Gross to trim my toenail. A quack doc, who does a little fishing. A megalomaniac. Sullivan will take him out in a slam.
I note that in the Al Gross TV advertisement, he mentions some kind of a sailing exploit with the late former Governor Jay Hammond. That is enough for me: I am supporting Senator Sullivan. Unsurprisingly, we have another leftist hailing an association with Governor Hammond.
Governor Hammond’s Attorney General was Dr. Gross’ father, Avrum Gross, who populated the Department of Law with every left/ liberal attorney he could find.
Despite all the Permanent Fund bluster, Governor Hammond does not have any meaningful conservative credentials. His speeches and policies were built on so many straw-man propositions that he must have owned a very large hay farm somewhere. During his tenure as governor, State government grew at a rate beyond all comprehension.
When he left office in 1982, the local Republicans had an “appreciation” dinner for him. I was invited to attend and could only ask “appreciation for what?”
Hammond? Al Gross? No, thank you.
The far-left Ad Hoc Democrat Coalition bolted the Democrat nominee, Bill Egan, and backed Hammond, who won with the help of not a little voter fraud. Hammond rewarded them by making Ad Hoc types the bulk of the appointees in his administration. Since the government grew exponentially during his two terms, those leftist Democrats set the culture of the bureaucracy for a generation, a culture that largely survives even today.
There were still a few Hammond hires and appointees around even when I retired in 2006, almost 25 years after Hammond left office. It isn’t coincidental that it takes making your 8th anniversary to get into longevity steps in the State statutory pay plan that appointees are on, which means you have to survive one gubernatorial election in an appointed position to get there usually. Those “long-haul” appointees were way out in longevity steps and I assure you that is graphic evidence that person has no principles and will do anything to stay in an appointed position.
State government was very, very druggy in those days, and when I started with the State in ’87 it still was; you didn’t need to smoke dope, you could just walk through the State Office Building parking garage at break or lunch time, and half my co-workers came back from lunch vibrating from the coke they’d done at lunch. Hickel brought some adult supervision and got rid of most of the leftover flower children, though some survived by diving to hidey-holes down in the merit system ranks and a few survived even to Hickel Administration and eagerly greeted the “return of the king” with Knowles’ election. Some survived Murkowski and even into Palin/Parnell. Were I ever to return in a position of authority, I’d do what Dunleavy only threatened; I’d fire every one of them. I might hire some back if they kissed the ring, but I’d probably fire everybody in an appointment who is in longevity; they have tarried there too long.
It turns out “Hell hath no wrath like a republican (Rick Wilson) scorned.”
I’ll admit it’s tough finding one (a republican) with brains but be darned!
Listening to you trumpanzee’s chatter loudly not being able to let go of that banana in the jug is amusing.
The Lincoln Project seem like a bunch of patriots to me. I just wish them well, frankly.
How can America haters and commies be Patriots? We’re you born in the US, Jim, or are you another brainwashed Leftist? Sad case.
The Lincoln Project is full of racists and tax evaders, out to make a buck off of stupid Democrats and Never Trumpers and to top it off, they are backing that loon Joe Biden.
You come across as nervous. That makes me happy. It also makes me happy to the see the GOP tapping into some integrity again. I miss the party that espoused real values and an unwillingness to overlook pure unadulterated corruption as Trump drains the swamp into the White House. GOP might soon have some spine again. They might feel American again. It might even be, dare I say it, Grand again. Fingers crossed.
You should not talk about your feelings when you cannot be Alaskan or a patriot. You are left of center for sure.
Surely, you all knew that the lefties would present someone with an “Independent” moniker rather than the “D” behind their name?
I will never vote for an Independent, they have shown over time that they always vote with the Democrats so no different than voting for one.
Gross a renowned surgeon this is the same idiot who did surgery on my arm said I would have two holes one on top and one on the bottom to remove bone chip he missed the mark and had to put four holes instead of two because he was to careless and missed the mark. I would never vote for him!
He will miss the mark just like he did with my arm and then charge double for four hole instead of two.
A real tool he is!
So if you disagree with anyone’s opinion they are lefty, communist, not patriot, not Alaskan, stupid, poor at whatever they try, etc etc. Cant we just have an inteligent discussion about how we agree or disagree on actual outcomes?! To me Sullivan is no prize, as he has gone along with Trump on everything, and sorry, but even Fox (fake)news sees some of their former mistakes. Just think for yourself. I don’t think I will agree with Gross on everything but at least I hope to have someone with more character and individuality than Sullivan? He contributes nothing. Lets try something different. And please discuss things in a more studied and intelligent manner than the above comments.
Republicans, including Sullivan and Murkowski have shown they have no integrity with their votes against impeachment of the truly incompetent and egotistic President, who truly was guilty of the charges that the House brought against him.
No Republican is getting my vote, even though I voted mainly Republican candidates in the past.
By refusing to stand up to the idiotic and vengeful Trump, they have lost all their integrity.
And more correctly, the title of this commentary should read: Fueled with DISGUST for Trump, Lincoln Project backs Gross with big bucks for Senate
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