New GOP group plans to spend millions this fall

[BeatleBoot]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100626/ap_on_el_ge/us_gop_american_crossroads

<snip>

Karl Rove, who was President George W. Bush's top political strategist, and Ed Gillespie, a former Republican Party chairman and White House aide, modeled their network on successful operations created by Democrats several years ago.

American Crossroads is a 527 organization — named for a section in the tax law — that is exempt from limits on campaign fundraising and spending that apply to party-affiliated groups. It can tap rich conservatives, such as Trevor Rees-Jones, president of Dallas-based Chief Oil and Gas, who chipped in the first $1 million.

But eyebrows rose in political circles when the group filed its next monthly report with the Internal Revenue Service, showing only $200 raised in May.

Steven Law, a former U.S. Chamber of Commerce lawyer and now president of American Crossroads, said the group has about $30 million in pledges that Rove, Gillespie and others secured during recent trips to various cities.

<more>

[Avalux]

1. 52 million to be exact and will directly compete with the RNC.

I'm all for division in the Republican Party; will be interesting to watch the power struggle.