The Associated Press Wednesday, October 25, 2006; 3:53 PM
WASHINGTON -- Those in power love to dole out grants at election time. With Republican control of Congress at risk, the Bush administration is busily using the perks of incumbency to help allies from Ohio to California.
The formula: Cabinet luminaries travel to competitive districts and hand out money while local candidates bask in media coverage.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, right, talks to Rep. Ralph Regula, D-Ohio, after announcing the first of 16 grants totaling $42 million, including $5.5 million for Ohio, Monday, Oct. 23, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. State officials said Ohio will receive $27.6 million over five years. The department will release the remaining grants in the coming weeks, falling right before the Nov. 7 elections. With control of Congress at stake and Democrats favored in the elections, the Bush administration is using the power of incumbency to help Republicans: from New York to Ohio to California, top Bush Administration officials are popping up in campaign mode. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato/File) (Kiichiro Sato - AP)
"Democrats did it. Republicans are doing it. The Whigs and the Federalists probably did it as well. It's a very old tradition," said John Fortier, a research fellow who studies politics and elections at the American Enterprise Institute.
Take Pennsylvania, where Republican Rep. Curt Weldon was getting some fuel Wednesday from the Energy Department. The agency sent an assistant secretary to stand next to Weldon at a press conference, touting a local company that just scored a $6.3 million federal grant.
The photo op comes as Weldon is under federal investigation for conflicts of interest and is facing the most formidable re-election challenge in his 20-year career.
In the same state last week, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao joined another endangered Republican, Sen. Rick Santorum, and thanked him for his leadership. Then she announced a $10.4 million grant to help the state clean up from severe storms. Analysts have rated Santorum, the No. 3 Senate GOP leader, as among the most likely Senate Republicans to lose on Nov. 7.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings chose the political crossroads of Ohio when she was ready to start handing out grants for teacher bonuses this week. Among other crucial races there, polls show Republican Sen. Mike DeWine trailing Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Spellings began her day Monday by appearing in Cincinnati with Rep. Steve Chabot, who is in his own election fight. To announce the $20 million grant for Ohio, she stood in Columbus with Rep. Ralph Regula, who oversees the House spending bill for education.
The agency said the election had no bearing. Brown didn't buy it. He said Bush and DeWine have shortchanged schools for years, and he accused them of cooking up a publicity stunt. "Cynical politics at its worst," he said.
Elsewhere in the Cabinet, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, a former Nebraska governor, has traveled the south and the Midwest to help out Republican candidates.
Johanns appeared Tuesday at an ethanol seminar with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is tied with or trailing Democrat Mike Hatch in polls. Then he appeared at campaign events with Senate candidate Mark Kennedy and Rep. Gil Gutknecht, whose races are viewed as competitive.
All this political promotion comes in addition to President Bush's increasingly frequent forays on behalf of struggling Republicans.
