By Peter Urban according to an FEC Stephens Washington Bureau spokeswoman. In Arkansas, WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Ross, that would limit D-Prescott, who announced contributions to any single Monday that he will not seek campaign to $2,000. a seventh term in Congress, Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., a plans to refund a portion of fellow Blue Dog who announced the contributions his in June that he would not campaign collected this year. seek re-election, has Dustin B. Smith, a spokesman refunded $238,000 of the for Ross’s campaign, said nearly $257,000 in today they plan to refund all contributions his campaign of the $98,369 it received committee raised this year, this year from individual according to his latest FEC contributors. filing. The campaign, however, plans At a press conference in to keep most of the nearly Little Rock on Monday, Ross $350,000 it received from said that he is considering a Political Action Committees. run for governor in 2014 but Of that PAC total, Smith said does not expect to make a the campaign plans to refund firm commitment until $28,500. sometime in 2013. “Mike Ross for Congress Ross, a former pharmacy owner Committee plans to retain its who turns 50 next week, also PAC contributions that were cited a desire to spend more designated to the Primary time with his family and election, many of which have frustration with partisanship already been spent on in Congress as factors. campaign and fundraising Ross’s announcement Monday expenses,” Smith said. drew notice in the national Ross’s campaign raised $448, media where it was seen as 388 through June 30, another sign of the continued according to the latest erosion to moderates in a financial report filed Congress that has become earlier this month with the increasingly partisan and Federal Election Commission. ideological. The campaign had spent $85, Ross has chaired the fiscally 275.32 through the first six conservative Blue Dog months of the year, leaving Democrats that saw its $319,172.20 cash-on-hand. numbers shrink from 54 in Since then, the campaign 2010 to 25 today. raised an additional $19,200 “Blue Dogs have a brief but and spent another $43,268.40, notable history. The caucus according to Smith. was formed in 1995 after After deducting the refunds, Democrats’ stunning losses in Ross’s campaign would have the 1994 election. Their about $168,000 remaining. ranks grew dramatically in Smith said he anticipated the 2006 Democratic sweep, some additional operating and they had a major impact costs would be incurred. on last year’s health-care Smith did not offer what Ross reform debate. In the 2010 planned to do with the elections, another Republican remaining funds. wave decimated their ranks,” Ross can’t tap the funds for wrote Washington Post personal use but could, among reporters Aaron Blake and other options, contribute the Rachel Weiner. funds to other candidates, The paper speculated that at political action committees least 16 of the remaining or political parties. Blue Dogs were vulnerable to The funds could also go either retirement or defeat toward state or local races in 2012. pursuant to state law,
Tags: Campaign, contributions, return, Ross, some
