After an unexpected scare in Kansas, Republicans are even more freaked out about the phenomenon that is Jon Ossoff's run for a House seat in Georgia. They are answering the $8.3 million in small dollar donations—averaging $42.50—and the surge of volunteer foot soldiers behind his bid with ... Paul Ryan. The House speaker has recorded a robo-call. There's money, too, of course. He raised $22.4 million this quarter, putting $16.4 million of it into to the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC plowed a couple of million of that into running attack ads against Ossoff—not into helping any one of the Republican gaggle running against him.
According to a House political aide with knowledge of the plans, Ryan taped a get-out-the-vote robo-call set to reach Republican voters in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, where the GOP is hoping to hold on to the seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
A script for the call was not immediately available, but Ryan is not expected to endorse a particular candidate in the fractured Republican field. […]
“Paul Ryan continues to be a political force in the Republican Party, breaking records at every turn,” Kevin Seifert, Ryan’s political director, said in a statement. “The level of support we’ve seen over the first three months of 2017 has been truly remarkable — and I can tell you Paul is very grateful. Bottom line, people are excited about the Republican agenda and what these bold reforms will do to get our country back-on-track.”
Ossoff is being pummeled on the airwaves by national Republicans and affiliated groups. Between the Club for Growth, the NRCC, the NRA, the RNC, and some super PAC totally un-ironically calling itself "Ending Spending," nearly $9 million has been spent on destroying Ossoff.
Nevertheless, he's persisting. Money from rich Republicans can't squash grassroots commitment and enthusiasm.
Help crush Paul Ryan's hopes and dreams: chip in $3 to help Jon Ossoff and sign up to make calls to Get Out The Vote for Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff here.