In some ways, even Walden’s detractors know he’s getting a bum rap. Republicans turn on committee chair

House Republicans are going to win seats next week, but there’s talk among lawmakers and top GOP aides that the campaign chief could — and should — lose his job.

Rep. Greg Walden, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, could face challenges from either Rep. Roger Williams, a Texas Republican, or Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois. Both have sent signals they’re interested in a potential bid.


Walden’s detractors say there’s no case to keep the Oregonian around. House Republicans have been consistently outraised by their Democratic counterparts, despite the GOP being in the majority. Their strategy and tactics have been called into question during the final weeks of campaigning. Pockets of the NRCC’s staff are deeply unhappy. And they are likely to fall short of their publicly proclaimed goal of winning nearly a dozen seats; Walden’s “Drive for 245” will have turned out to be nothing but a fundraising ploy.

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Walden’s many supporters — including Speaker John Boehner of Ohio — say the chairman was key in setting up an infrastructure to win the half-dozen to dozen seats Republicans anticipate they will pick up. Boehner’s staff says he’s still behind Walden, although sources on the speaker’s team are keenly aware of the frustration toward the NRCC.

“Chairman Walden is working tirelessly on behalf of our candidates. He’s a big reason why we’ve got an opportunity to win a larger House majority this November,” Cory Fritz, Boehner’s top political aide, said.

A number of Republicans have already begun positioning themselves for a post-Walden world — either by laying the groundwork to challenge him or setting up structures to run if Walden decides to forgo reelection.

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Williams, who is one of the party’s fundraisers, has been calling around D.C. during this election season, trying to build support for his candidacy. Schock has spent the past few weeks flying around the country in a private jet — staff in tow — to raise money and campaign for his House colleagues. Schock has been talking to lawmakers about a run for the chairmanship but is also interested in a statewide campaign for governor in Illinois.

If Walden decides against seeking another term, both Reps. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and Ann Wagner of Missouri would consider bids.

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Nothing angers the NRCC more than lawmakers mulling post-election leadership races during the campaign season. Andrea Bozek, a spokesman for the NRCC, said, “Chairman Walden is fully focused on electing Republican candidates on November 4th.”

“He is consistently out on the campaign trail helping candidates all across the country and appreciates how many of his colleagues are stepping up to help in very effective and positive ways,” Bozek added.

The decision about Walden’s future at the NRCC is largely up to Boehner, a strong ally. Boehner is close enough to Walden to nudge him in either direction. The danger for Walden is that lawmakers return to Washington, angry and tired from a bruising election season and want change. Boehner isn’t in danger of losing his job, nor is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) or Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Walden could become a casualty.

Regardless of what happens with the NRCC, Walden has a bright future in the House Republican Conference. Next Congress, he will be the sixth-ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and he could easily be the powerful panel’s next chairman.

In some ways, even Walden’s detractors know he’s getting a bum rap. House and Senate Democrats have bludgeoned Republicans in fundraising partially because they have a powerful surrogate in President Barack Obama and a robust digital operation.

“Listen, all this can’t be laid on [Walden]; some of this is the speaker too,” said a GOP lawmaker close to the issue. “But it’s just scandalous how badly the NRCC is being outraised. It’s kind of unbelievable. We have got to do a lot better, whether it’s Walden over there or whoever it is.”

This lawmaker added: “If it hadn’t been for the outside groups, I don’t know where we’d be right now.”

Furthermore, Walden isn’t coming close to losing seats. Even a bad day will give Republicans an expanded majority.

The expectations for this cycle were always high. Senior Republicans said 2014 was a prime opportunity to pad their majority ahead of the presidential election. Senior figures in both parties say the House could be up for grabs with Hillary Clinton on the ballot.

It’s not clear how Election Day will shape up — projections are that Republicans could pick up anywhere between five and 12 seats.

“It could be six or seven seats, it could be 12 or 14 seats. It’s just too fuzzy to know right now,” said one Democratic insider. “I can’t remember a cycle where there was this much uncertainty so late in the day.”

Three Democratic seats could all shift into Republican control. Seats held by Democratic Reps. Mike McIntyre (N.C.) and Bill Owens (N.Y.) are both certain to flip parties. Democratic incumbents like Reps Anne Kirkpatrick of Arizona, Bill Enyart of Illinois, Nick Rahall of West Virginia, Rick Nolan of Minnesota and Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire are all up for grabs. Even in Republican Utah, Mia Love’s race against Democrat Doug Owens has caused some concern for Republicans.

But Republicans are also struggling in seats they should be holding onto. Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska is severely endangered, as is Rep. Steve Southerland in north Florida. Southerland has clashed with the NRCC about its handling of his race. Retiring Republican Rep. Gary Miller’s seat in California is also likely to flip into Democratic hands. Critics of the NRCC point to the party’s battle to hold onto Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s Charleston, West Virginia, seat. Capito, who is running for Senate, won her seat with 83 percent of the vote in 2012, and Mitt Romney beat Obama by 22 points there. Republican candidate Alex Mooney, a former state lawmaker in Maryland and chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, is struggling against Democrat Nick Casey.

Some of the griping about the NRCC is warmed-over criticism that surfaces every cycle. The party committee is controlled too tightly by leadership, it’s not spending enough money on battleground races, and there’s not enough member input in how decisions are made. One constant criticism is the massive amount of money being spent to defeat Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.) in a Syracuse-based district that Obama won by 16 points. Even if they win the seat, it will be a monumental battle every cycle, Republicans say.

In reality, super PACs like the Congressional Leadership Fund have made the party committees a less vital component of the election process.

The NRCC, though, has had an abysmal fundraising cycle. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee leads the NRCC by a stunning $38 million.

The super PACs have been a huge boon for Republicans, especially in contested races. During the past two weeks alone, Republican-leaning groups have reserved an additional $16 million in TV ad time, while Democratic groups have reserved only $6.9 million, according to a Democrat tracking ad buys.

Some of the bias against Walden may be about his personal style. The 57-year-old is an unassuming wonk who is more comfortable discussing the minutiae of campaign tactics than breaking heads to get reluctant rank-and-file members to give to the NRCC.

“Greg may be too nice a guy,” suggested a veteran Republican. “We needed somebody who can scare people over there. He’s not the guy, in some ways.”