Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney are helping state parties generate cash. | AP photos State parties cash in on 2012 race

It turns out there’s a Republican constituency that isn’t at all bothered by the large and uncertain field of prospective 2012 candidates: the state parties themselves.

For them, the frontrunner-free race is proving to be a cash cow, thanks to windfall fundraisers headlined by potential challengers to President Barack Obama.


It’s the easiest kind of political transaction, one that can deliver as much as a six-figure return and almost no political downside risk. Candidates are happy to increase their visibility and introduce themselves to the rank-and-file. Cash-strapped state parties are eager to replenish their coffers with ticket revenues from high-demand events featuring top national politicians in the flesh.

“It’s a huge asset to any state that participates in that process and can take advantage of it,” said Saul Anuzis, a former Michigan GOP chairman. “Having these candidates come through your states helps you drive attendance, and being able to drive attendance helps you drive ticket sales.”

The pre-primary rubber chicken circuit isn’t a boon to every state party. GOP candidates aren’t anxious to spend their time in states that have little value in the nominating process—they’d prefer to spend their time in Iowa, rather than Idaho, or in South Carolina, instead of South Dakota.

But in the states where it makes good political sense—the various presidential prospects have raised money for parties in nearly half the states since the start of the 2010 election cycle—the fundraising events have proven to be lucrative endeavors.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s June 10 Statesman’s Dinner fundraiser for the Tennessee GOP last year poured more than $650,000 into the party’s treasury—about a third of the party’s overall 2010 fundraising, according to figures provided by the state Ethics Commission.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney told POLITICO. “It heightens the profile of the party and gives donors someone that they want to see. And it brings more attention to your event.”

Meanwhile, in Pawlenty’s home state, both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney headlined $5,000 per head VIP roundtables with donors, in addition to lower-dollar general admission fundraisers, just before the November election.

Minnesota Republican Chairman Tony Sutton declined to say how much the events raised for the cash-strapped state party but called the Gingrich and Romney visits “well-timed” because the state GOP was involved in a contested election to hold the governorship.

“They came in late and man, we really needed it,” Sutton said in an interview. “We were really hurting.”

Even the vastly outgunned Hawaii GOP, a lonely outpost in a heavily Democratic state far from the mainland, has gotten in on the act. Last month, during a break from his vacation with his wife Callista, Gingrich headlined a Lincoln Day fundraiser in Honolulu that raked in at least $75,000.

With more than 500 people in attendance, the Gingrich event was expected to be the state party’s “single largest income generator of the year,” said Dylan Nonaka, executive director of the Hawaii Republican Party.

“He was definitely a big draw and increased our revenues,” Nonaka said. “People don’t come to Hawaii as often. They can’t just drive across the state line and get here.”

Aside from the cash benefits, there is also a valuable party-building component to the visits. In Arkansas, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin filled an arena with more than 5,000 onlookers at the “Arkansas Welcomes Sarah Palin” event in February 2010, Arkansas GOP spokeswoman Katherine Vasilos said. The same day, Palin attended a smaller dinner and reception for the state party with tickets ranging from $175 to $500.

While the state party declined to disclose how much money that event raised, GOP officials told the Associated Press earlier that they hoped to raise $400,000 from the event—if the fundraiser hit the mark, that would have represented more than one-third of the $1.1 million the party brought in during the year.

“To have any potential presidential contender visit our state is a tremendous opportunity,” said Vasilos. “It’s a turning point in Arkansas as our state emerges as a player in national politics.”

While the presidential race has been good for business across the map, it’s been especially good in the states that play a key early role in determining the GOP nominee.

In New Hampshire, where Missisippi Gov. Haley Barbour raised money for the state party while serving as Republican Governors Association chair, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was a recent headliner for a fundraising brunch for the state Republican State Committee.

In Iowa, it was Palin who provided the star power last year at the state GOP’s premier fundraiser, the annual Ronald Reagan dinner in Des Moines. Her appearance, the only Iowa public event on her schedule that day, ranked as the highest-grossing and best-attended Reagan dinner in the event’s nine-year history—tickets sold for $100 a piece or $1,000 for a table of eight.

This year, Iowa’s state GOP recently kicked off a yearlong series of fundraisers aimed at bolstering county parties. The inaugural guest? Barbour, who keynoted a March 15 dinner in the Quad Cities area.

Each of the events, held in counties across the state, will feature an out-of-state headliner in hopes of shoring up state and county GOP operations.

“We’re working to not only provide a platform for these candidates, but to capitalize on their frequent visits to Iowa,” explained Iowa GOP spokesman Casey Mills.