Lawless Gains PAC Support, Fundraising Ground on Langevin

Jennifer Lawless has garnered endorsements from two political action committees and gained fund-raising ground on incumbent 2nd District Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., in the last three months, but the assistant professor of political science and public policy still trails far behind him in terms of overall fund raising and cash on hand. Lawless is challenging Langevin for the Democratic nomination for his House seat.

According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday, which cover the period from July 1 to Sept. 30, Lawless raised $28,902.99 in the last quarter, more than the $21,278 she raised from April 1 to June 30.

Langevin raised $52,065.05 in the third quarter, far less than in previous reporting periods, but the $355,400.05 he has raised so far this campaign cycle dwarfs Lawless' total take of $50,180.99.

In terms of cash on hand, Langevin has a more than six-to-one advantage over Lawless, with $209,344.58 to her $31,837. That is a distinct improvement for the Lawless campaign, which had only $9,249.50 on hand June 30.

"Jen is and we are very excited about our progress on fundraising and all other fronts. Our databases of both contacts and contributors are increasing significantly as each day passes," said Adam Deitch, Lawless' campaign manager. But, he added, "it is still a very grassroots campaign. Whereas Jim Langevin is able to reach into a vast pool of funds for his own campaign, Jen is looking to individual supporters and volunteers to get her message out."

Much of Lawless's support continues to come from out-of-state sources - 61 percent of her take last quarter came from individuals outside Rhode Island, with another 14.2 percent from Rhode Islanders. Fifteen percent of her money came from individual donations under $200, which are not reported individually.

"Jen is definitely still in close contact with her friends and family, but Jen is also expanding her pool of supporters in Rhode Island," Deitch said. "As the circle of supporters gets larger, so does the circle of contributors."

In comparison, most of Langevin's money this past quarter came from political action committees, making up 70.1 percent of his take. PACs have given him 45.2 percent of his total money raised so far this campaign, with Rhode Islanders giving him another 41.2 percent of his funds.

"We are very pleased with the report, and we're right on target for where we want to be," said Joy Fox, Langevin's press secretary.

Lawless has gained some PAC support of her own - last quarter she was endorsed by both the Women's Campaign Fund and the Women Under Forty PAC.

"We think she is a very strong candidate and a woman who's up and coming with new ideas, and we're very pleased to help her get started," said Ilana Goldberg, executive director of WCF.

Goldberg called Langevin "someone who doesn't really seem to represent the views of the district he represents," especially on abortion rights and other social issues. Langevin is opposed to abortion, while Lawless supports abortion rights.

"Our mission is to support women under 40 running for Congress, and she is a woman under 40 who is running for Congress, and that is why we are supporting her," said Barb Palmer, vice president and political director of WUFPAC.

"I think she's a terrific candidate, and if anyone can give this guy a run for his money, it's her," Palmer added, noting that it is personally exciting for her because Palmer, a professor of political science at American University in Washington, D.C., previously knew Lawless.

WCF gave Lawless $1,000 last quarter, and the WUFPAC gave her another $500. Both groups will help her with fund raising in the future, their representatives said.

Both PAC leaders said they were not fazed by political observers who say Lawless faces an uphill battle for the nomination against Langevin, a popular incumbent. The Democratic primary will be held Sept. 12, 2006.

"There are just any number of elected officials around the country you could look at who were long shots. Nay-saying doesn't make change," WCF's Goldberg said. "That's why Jen is going to win - she's not going to listen to those voices. She's going to forge ahead," she added.

"It's useful to support long shots because two years from now, four years from now, they might not be long shots," Palmer said.

However, Lawless has not yet garnered what may be the most important endorsement of all - EMILY's List, which supports pro-abortion rights Democratic women and is known for delivering vast amounts of campaign money to endorsed candidates.

Ramona Oliver, communications director at EMILY's List, said their endorsements pro-cess is not yet complete, and it is against their policy to discuss where specific candidates are in the process.

"I know she is amongst many races we are looking at this year, and I can tell you we're very excited at the number of women running around the country. We're having a little trouble keeping up," she said.

Deitch said he was impressed with how far the campaign has come in terms of fundraising, which is a "huge focus" right now. He added that campaigning will kick into high gear come spring.

"The pace of the campaign is really going to pick up when the weather breaks in the spring," he said. "The real pounding the pavement begins in the spring."

This article, written by Ben Leubsdorf, appeared on October 17, 2005, in the Brown Daily Herald.