Boehner ponies up for NRCC

WASHINGTON – With voters heading to the polls in just 39 days, House Minority Leader John Boehner is slapping down his dollars for the cash-strapped National Republican Congressional Committee.

At a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference this morning, Boehner donated $250,000 to the NRCC’s “Battleground” program, according to several Capitol Hill Republicans familiar with the meeting. The Battleground program is a member-based fundraising drive designed to infuse the party with $12 million for House races. Boehner had already given $550,000 out of his campaign bank account to Battleground.

Boehner wasn’t the only member to pony up. Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican, provided $50,000. Virginia’s Bob Goodlatte gave $100,000, bringing his total donated to the program to $300,000. Texas’s John Carter, who had already provided $150,000 to the program, gave $100,000. California’s Devin Nunez chipped in $200,000 on top of the $100,000 he had already given.

With the NRCC trailing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by about $40 million, some members said it was crucial to provide checks.

“I want to be part of the solution,” South Carolina’s Joe Wilson told colleagues at the gathering, according to a Republican insider. Wilson gave $70,000.

Battleground organizers aimed to take in $12 million this cycle. Today’s contributions and pledges bring the program to a grand total of $15.5 million.

Other members who gave at this morning’s meeting include Pennsylvania’s Phil English, who faces a difficult path to reelection. Georgia’s Tom Price gave his expected contribution of $100,000. And Jim Sensenbrenner, the veteran Wisconsin member who had been panned by some colleagues for keeping his checkbook closed, cut a $70,000 check.