Despite claims to the contrary, fund-raising by Republican campaigns and organizations in Washington (the national committee, the House and Senate campaign committees) is suffering badly. “Way off,” says one knowledgeable Republican. GOP officials have a pretty good idea why: Newt Gingrich’s troubles and the meandering leadership by him and others. To be fair, there’s also a seasonal reason: Fundraising normally dips after a presidential race, especially after a losing one. And there’s a mailing-list reason: The GOP lists have been bled practically dry. But anxiety at the grass roots over the lack of direction of congressional Republicans is the big downer in money- raising. And a popularity-impaired Newt is a big factor because so much of the fundraising revolved around him (his name was on a lot of the letters). To figure out how to surmount the fundraisng malaise, Republicans are conducting a poll.
