Solutions America FEC Report

Note to Googlers: If you're looking for Solutions America PAC, here is a link to their official web site. You can also show Rudy Giuliani you want him to run in 2008 by making a secure online contribution.

The editors of The Hotline continue to push the theory that Rudy Giuliani won't run for President. Chuck Todd's odd obsession with the notion that Giuliani would choose making $40 million over being the most powerful man on the face of the planet is frankly clouding his judgment. That said, On Call does bring up some interesting disbursements in the Solutions America (the Mayor's PAC) April FEC report:

FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT $25,000
1 PURCHASE COMPUTER EQUIPMENT $21,423
1 COMPLIANCE CONSULTANT $3,750
1 PURCHASE TELECOM EQUIPMENT $2,499
1 RENT $1,717
1 TELECOM CONSULTANT/LEASE PHONES $1,577
1 CONTRACT LABOR-ADMINISTRATIVE WORK $430

The full report is here, though actually, it's all pretty much laid out by those seven lines. The fundraising consultant is Anne Dickerson, director of Rangers and Pioneers for BC04. The computer equipment and phone buys are interesting, suggesting an incoming staff of about 15. (The May report should be very instructive.)

Poring over the last few months of reports (I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier), this represents a significant ramp up at least on the clerical side of getting a pre-campaign up and running. This is the first time Solutions America has paid for office space since last November. And the only personnel they've paid is Ryan Medrano, who handles their FEC compliance.

The April '06 ramp up represents something more than a resumption of the previous level of activity. Take a look at Solutions America's expenditures in September '04 -- the height of Rudy's political activity in the last presidential election. It includes a whopping total of two budget line items and five contributions to Senate candidates and the RNC. No payroll. No phone bill. No five figure payouts to fundraising consultants.

As for Solutions America's contributions for the '06 cycle, they most recently sent a check to the Michigan Republican Party's federal account. Other candidates supported include Mark Kennedy (MN-SEN), Peter King (NY-03), Vito Fossella (NY-13), John Sweeney (NY-20) and Michael Steele (MD-SEN).

Sure, this represents a late start. But that doesn't mean he's not running. In The Prince of the City, Fred Siegel talks about how Rudy never seemed to be all that engaged in the 2000 Senate race, even as an official candidate. In the end, he wound up withdrawing for reasons other than a lack of fire in the belly. But after reading that, Rudy's behavior to date hasn't surprised me at all.

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