Tim Griffin (Tim Griffin for Congress)

Republican Tim Griffin (R) is not only the clear frontrunner in his bid for Congress in public opinion polls but also in fundraising. Griffin, a former Bush administration official who was a key figure in the 2006 U.S. Attorney firings scandal, is one of four candidates seeking to replace Democratic Rep. Vic Snyder in Arkansas’ 2nd District. Snyder dropped his re-election bid earlier this month citing family concerns.

Griffin, who was a former assistant to Karl Rove in the White House under George W. Bush, was installed as the U.S. Attorney in Little Rock in December 2006 under a controversial provision of the Patriot Act that circumvented Senate confirmation. It later emerged in congressional testimony that Griffin’s predecessor, Bud Cummins, had been ousted in an apparent move to make way for Griffin. Griffin stepped down as U.S. Attorney in June 2007.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, Griffin raised $261,457.58 and ended the year with $316,535.42 cash on hand. As was the case earlier in his fund-raising effort, a number of Griffin’s donations came from Republican operatives who worked in the Bush administration or on one of President Bush’s campaigns.

Among Griffin’s donors are Alex Castellanos, a top media adviser to Bush’s 2004 campaign; Benjamin Ginsberg, a partner at Patton Boggs who was national counsel on both of Bush’s campaigns, Kenneth B. Mehlman, Bush’s campaign manager in 2004 and former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Sara Taylor, who was the director of the White House Office of Political Affairs and deputy assistant to Bush. Taylor, who reported directly to Rove, also was involved in the 2006 dismissal of the U.S. Attorneys.

The one other Republican in the race — restaurant owner Scott Wallace — fell far behind Griffin in the fundraising race at the end of the fourth quarter. Health care project manager David Meeks earlier this week ended his bid for the Republican nomination. Other Republican candidates could emerge. CQPolitics rates the race as “leans Republican.”

Although Snyder didn’t drop out of the race until after the quarter was over, it appears he didn’t do any fundraising in the last quarter of 2009. During the quarter he raised $281.80 and ended the year with $4,182.01 cash on hand. Snyder historically had not been an aggressive fund-raiser early in the two-year election cycle.

The two Democrats now in the race — state Sen. Joyce Elliott and state House Speaker Robbie Wills — did not enter the race until the end of the fourth quarter fundraising period.

Several other Democrats have been mentioned as possible candidates, including Snyder’s chief of staff David Boling, former state Rep. Will Bond, state Sen. Shane Broadway, 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays, state Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Johnson, state Sen. Mary Anne Salmon, state Senate Majority Leader Tracy Steele, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and state Public Service Commissioner Paul Suskie.

The filing deadline for party candidates is March 8. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will take place May 18. If needed, a run-off will take place on June 8.

Among Griffin’s donors are:

• Bryant Forrest Adams, a Republican political consultant and Griffin’s campaign manager — $250
• Edwin Alderson, Jr., a former Union County Municipal Judge and a former Special Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court — $1,400
• Jerald Barnett, chairman of Education America, Inc. — $2,400
• Charles Basinger, an associate with Alston & Bird who previously served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, in Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq, as well as Anchorage, Alaska — $25
• Dominic C. Bellone, a Resident Program Director Governance-Iraq, International Republican Institute and a former producer at Hardball with Chris Matthews — $500
• Elliot Berke, a former Capitol Hill staffer who once was counsel to the Speaker of the House and served as general counsel to the House Majority Leader — $500
• Dan Blum, a research and communications consultant who previously was a senior research analyst at the Republican National Committee and a policy analyst at the Senate Republican Conference — $250
• Tyler Boyd, a senior associate at Kearsarge Global Advisors who worked in the White House with former Vice President Richard Cheney and Republican political strategist Mary Matalin —$333.34
• Sally Bradshaw, a Republican political consultant who has worked on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and President George H.W. Bush, worked as then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s (R) chief of staff and campaign manager and served as  associate director of political affairs in President George H.W. Bush’s White House — $500
• Jason Braswell, an attorney at the Defense Department — $1,000
• Reginald James Brown, a partner at Wilmer Hale who served as special assistant to the president and associate White House Counsel from 2003 to 2005 — $500
• Suzie Browning, an accountant who once was Sen. Fred Thompson’s (R-Tenn.) controller — $250
• Joseph Canizaro, a property developer who was a major Bush supporter and had close personal ties to the White House inner circle — $2,400
• Stephen Carey, a former Hill staffer who served as legislative director for two members of the House Appropriations Committee and as a legislative assistant to the ranking member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee — $500
• Alex Castellanos, a top media adviser to Bush’s 2004 campaign — $250
• Barbara Comstock, a partner at Corallo Comstock who worked in the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs under Attorney General John Ashcroft — $250
• Mike Davis, was an Assistant Energy Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy under President George H.W. Bush — $800
• Makan Delrahim, an attorney with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP who was Deputy Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s antitrust division under Bush, also served as a member of the Attorney General’s Task Force on Intellectual Property — $250
• Ray C. Dillon, president, CEO and director of Deltic Timber Corporation — $2,000
• Liam Donovan, a principal at Capitol Entertainment Group who also works on a Republican campaign committee — $250
• Kelly Eichler, an attorney who worked in then-Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) administration — $1,250
• Benjamin Ginsberg, a partner at Patton Boggs who was national counsel on both of Bush’s campaigns and Romney’s presidential campaign — $500
• William Griffin, a partner at Sulgrave Partners who served in senior communications roles at the Treasury Department, three presidential campaigns and as a spokesman at the White House — $310
• Kris Hammond, a DOJ attorney — $250
• J. French Hill, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary to the Economic Policy Council under President George H.W. Bush — $200
• John S. Irving, Jr., a senior counselor at Holland & Knight who was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly 10 years, also serving as counsel to two Deputy Attorneys General — $1,000
• Jack Kalavritinos, the director of public policy at Covidien, Ltd who previously was the director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, White House Liaison at the Labor Department and associate administrator of competitive sourcing at the Office of Management and Budget — $250
• Dennis Kirk, associate general counsel at the U.S. Army — $252
• Robert Lanford, who previously worked for the Republican Party of Arkansas — $250
• Heather Larrison, deputy director of finance for Bush’s 2001 inauguration — $500
• Danny Lopez-Diaz, Bush’s campaign spokesman in New Mexico — $250
• Mitchell Lowe, an associate at Heidrick and Struggles who was White House Liaison at the Interior Department, Special Assistant to the Administrator at the Federal Highway Administration and Executive Director of Bush’s 2004 campaign in Arkansas — $250
• Milam D. Mabry, a principal at Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP who previously worked on the Hill — $500
• John Maher, a partner at  Duane Morris, LLP who previously was the General Counsel for the Office of Personnel Management and was a trial attorney with DOJ in Washington, D.C. — $500
• J. Allen Martin, a partner at the Livingston Group who previously was chief of staff to Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.) — $1,000
• Kenneth B. Mehlman, the managing director and head of Global Public Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts who was Bush’s campaign manager in 2004 before serving as chairman of the Republican National Committee — $2,400
• Robert Neil Miller, an associate at DLA Piper LLC who is a former staff member of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance — $250
• Wade Murphy, a former special assistant and domestic communications director at U.S. Commercial Service who also was a volunteer coordinator during Bush’s 2004 campaign and an oil and gas policy adviser at the Energy Department — $500
• Robert E. Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy Corporation who was a major Bush donor — $1,000
• Holland Patterson, a vice president at McBee Strategic who previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the Deputy White House Liaison and was a  Deputy Regional Political Director for the Republican National Committee during the 2004 presidential election — $250
• Barry Rhoads, the CEO of  The Rhoads Group who previously was tax prosecutor at DOJ — $200
• Job Serebrov, legal consultant at Serebrov Legal Consulting who previously was a senior counselor to the general counsel and senior adviser to the secretary of Agriculture — $2,000
• Rachael Seidenschur Slobodien, the communications manager at the National Taxpayers Union, who previously was a press secretary on the Hill and served as a communications executive assistant at The Heritage Foundation — $300
• Sara Taylor, a partner at Bluefront Group who was the director of the White House Office of Political Affairs and deputy assistant to Bush. — $1,000
• Alexander Vogel, a partner at Mehlman & Vogel Inc. and previously chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) — $1,000
• Andrew R. Wheeler, the minority staff director of the Senate Committee on Environmental & Public Works — $500
• Liza Wright, Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel and Director of Presidential Personnel in the Bush White House — $250
• April Elizabeth-Anne Zentmeyer, a staff assistant in the Bush White House — $500

In the last quarter of 2009 Griffin also received contributions from political action committees. The donating PACs include:
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation PAC
Bancorp South Bank PAC
Civic Forum PAC
Conservative Opportunity Leadership And
Continuing A Majority PAC
Electrical Contractors PAC
Every Republican Is Crucial (Ericpac)
Iraq Veterans For Congress PAC
Murphy Oil Corporation PAC
Murray Energy Corporation PAC
National Petrochemical & Refiners Assoc
Occidental Petroleum Corporation PAC
People For Enterprise Trade And Economy
Southern Company Employees PAC
Stephens Inc. Federal PAC
Tesoro Petroleum Corporation PAC
Westmoreland For Congress

The campaign also relieved reimbursement for rent for the campaign office, which is located in Griffin’s law office in Little Rock.

Tim Griffin (Tim Griffin for Congress)

One of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination to replace retiring Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) has dropped out of the race. Health care project manager David Meeks (R) recently announced that instead of seeking the House seat, he will enter the race for Arkansas House District 46. Snyder dropped his re-election bid earlier this month citing family concerns.

Remaining GOP candidates for the 2nd District seat include the apparent front-runner, Tim Griffin, and restaurant owner Scott Wallace. They will face each other in the May 18 primary. CQPolitics lists the race as Republican favored.

Griffin is a former Bush administration official who was a central figure in the 2006 U.S. Attorney firing scandal. Griffin, who was a  former assistant to Karl Rove in the George W. Bush White House, was installed as the U.S. Attorney in Little Rock in December 2006 under a controversial provision of the Patriot Act that circumvented Senate confirmation. It later emerged in congressional testimony that Griffin’s predecessor, Bud Cummins, had been ousted in an apparent move to make way for Griffin. Griffin stepped down as U.S. Attorney in June 2007.

Griffin released the following statement regarding Meeks’s withdrawal from the race:

“I salute David Meeks for his positive campaign and desire to elect a representative with common sense conservative values to Congress. I am pleased that David will continue to speak out on issues important to Arkansans as he runs for the state House of Representatives. I wish him the best and look forward to supporting him in his run for District 46.

Following Snyder’s withdrawal from the race, two Democrats  — state Sen. Joyce Elliott and state House Speaker Robbie Wills — entered the race.

A number of other Democrats have been mentioned as possible candidates, including Snyder’s chief of staff David Boling, former state Rep. Will Bond, state Sen. Shane Broadway, 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays, state Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Johnson, state Sen. Mary Anne Salmon, state Senate Majority Leader Tracy Steele, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and state Public Service Commissioner Paul Suskie.

The filing deadline for party candidates is March 8.

Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will take place May 18. If no candidate receives more than 50 perdent of the votes, a run-off will take place on June 8.

Vic Snyder (gov)

Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) will not run for re-election later this year, clearing the way for Tim Griffin, his Republican opponent and a former Bush administration official who was swept up in the scandal surrounding the 2006 U.S. Attorney firings. Snyder’s decision came hours after a poll showed Griffin leading Snyder by double-digits.

Snyder released the following statement this afternoon:

“I have concluded that these election-year forces are no match for the persuasive and powerful attraction of our three one-year old boys under the leadership of their three-year old brother, and I have decided not to run for re-election. It is the greatest professional honor of my life to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I am so grateful to the people of Arkansas to have had this wonderful opportunity.”

It’s unknown if the Democrats will scramble to find someone to seek the nomination; however, they likely will be going up against Griffin, who is gaining name recognition in the district. Two other Republicans — health care project manager David Meeks and restaurant owner Scott Wallace — also are seeking the Republican nomination.

Tim Griffin (Tim Griffin for Congress)

Griffin, a long-time Republican party operative and former assistant to Karl Rove in the George W. Bush White House, was installed as the U.S. Attorney in Little Rock in December 2006 under a controversial provision of the Patriot Act that circumvented Senate confirmation. It later emerged in congressional testimony that Griffin’s predecessor, Bud Cummins, had been ousted in an apparent move to make way for Griffin. Griffin stepped down as U.S. Attorney in June 2007.

Griffin released the following statement after Snyder’s announcement:

“I respect Rep. Snyder’s decision not to seek re-election. I thank him for his many years of service to the nation both in uniform and in Washington. I look forward to continuing a vigorous grassroots campaign on common sense conservative principles, including private-sector job creation, reducing the national debt and market-based health care reform.”

Tim Griffin (Tim Griffin for Congress)

Former interim U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin (R) in Arkansas, who played a key role in the 2006 U.S. Attorney firings scandal, has a double-digit lead over Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) in the race for Snyder’s Little Rock-based House seat, according to a poll released today by SurveyUSA/Firedoglake. T

In a head-to-head match up, respondents chose Griffin over Snyder, 56 to 39 percent, with 5 percent undecided. The poll was conducted by phone from Jan. 11 to Jan. 13.

A poll taken in November showed the race essentially tied, with Snyder edging out Griffin by a margin of 44 to 43 perecent.

Griffin, a long-time Republican party operative and former assistant to Karl Rove in the George W. Bush White House, was installed as the U.S. Attorney in Little Rock in December 2006 under a controversial provision of the Patriot Act that circumvented Senate confirmation. It later emerged in congressional testimony that Griffin’s predecessor, Bud Cummins, had been ousted in an apparent move to make way for Griffin. Griffin stepped down as U.S. Attorney in June 2007.

Cummins was one of nine U.S. Attorneys fired by the Bush administration in a process that led to an uproar over whether politics had been improperly injected into law enforcement. The controversy led then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign.

While the new poll only accounted for a Griffin-Snyder match-up, Griffin first will have to win the Republican primary. His rivals for the nomination include health care project manager David Meeks and restaurant owner Scott Wallace.

Tim Griffin (Tim Griffin for Congress)

Former interim U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin (R) in Arkansas is nearly tied with Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) for support in next year’s race for the Little Rock-based House seat, according to a poll released last week by Public Policy Polling.

In a head-to-head match up, respondents chose Snyder over Griffin by a narrow 44 to 43 perecent. The poll of 400 voters was conducted Nov. 11 through 13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.

The poll also found that Griffin had relatively low name recognition – which might be a good thing, suggesting that voters aren’t much aware that Griffin played a central role in the 2006 U.S. Attorney firings scandal. One of the ousted U.S. Attorneys, Bud Cummins in Arkansas’s Eastern District, was removed in an apparent attempt by the Bush White House to make room for Griffin, who at the time was an aide to Karl Rove.

Griffin only served six controversial months before stepping down in June 2007.

President Barack Obama is unpopular in the district, with a 52 percent disapproval rating, the poll found. Displeasure with Democratic-led health care reform may also be rubbing off against Syder, the poll found.

Synder also barely edged out other Republicans vying for the GOP nomination to challenge him. The poll also found Snyder’s disapproval rating 46 percent.

The poll found that 14 percent of respondents have a favorable opinion of Griffin, compared with 19 percent who have an unfavorable view and 67 percent who are not sure of their opinion.

Griffin is considered the front runner among the Republican candidates, having more cash on hand than either of his primary opponents. The former U.S. Attorney also has more cash on hand than Snyder. Griffin also has the most name recognition of the three Republicans and might have some powerful people stumping for him during his campaign. Although he wouldn’t confirm whether his former colleagues in the Bush administration would be on the campaign trail with him, Griffin has hinted that it’s a possibility.

'80s Tim Griffin on Facebook

As he mounts a bid for Congress from Arkansas, Tim Griffin (R) is drawing campaign donations from his former colleagues in the Bush administration.

A one-time aide to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Griffin served as interim U.S. Attorney in Little Rock after Bud Cummins was fired in the 2006 U.S. Attorneys scandal. Now he’s running for the Republican nomination to challenge Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.).

“I’m not going to distance myself from anything I’ve done. I’m very proud of my service,” Griffin said in an interview. “I’m just gonna put Tim Griffin out there.”

His third quarter Federal Election Commission report released last week showed A-list donors from the Republican establishment, including  Alex Castellanos, a top media adviser to Bush’s 2004 campaign; Mary Matalin, a Republican strategist who worked on President George H.W. Bush’s 1992 campaign and later for Vice President Dick Cheney; Mark McKinnon, a policy adviser and media consultant to Bush; and Travis Thomas, the national finance director of Bush’s 2004 campaign.

In addition, a sizable chuck of Griffin’s donations comes from the oil industry.

Griffin, meanwhile, has embraced new media in his campaign. He’s started Facebook and Twitter pages, and has also signed up with iContribute, a Web site that collects donations through the Internet. While Griffin’s Republican primary opponents are also Twittering, Griffin has out-raised them. He collected $130,000 in donations since announcing his candidacy Sept. 21, the report said. Griffin’s campaign spent $1,600 and had $129,000 cash on hand, according to the report. Twelve percent of his donations — or $15,800 —  came from oil producers.

Neither of Griffin’s GOP primary challengers — David Meeks and Scott Wallace — have filed a quarterly report. Meeks said his campaign was unable to file electronically due to “technical problems,” but said he raised $5,100 this quarter. Wallace launched his campaign after the end of the quarter. “I take my primary opponents very seriously,” Griffin told us. “I expect to have a vigorous primary.”

As for the incumbent, Snyder reported raising no money in the third quarter of this year. But he spent $4,700 and had $7,600 cash on hand. Said Griffin: ”It’s always an uphill battle against an incumbent. Congressman Snyder has been challenged a number of times and has won numerous times.” When asked if any Bush administration officials will be campaigning for him, Griffin said he will be making event and policy announcements in coming months.

Among Griffin’s donors are:

• Bob Brooks, Vice President of the Alpine Group who was a lawyer for the Republican National Committee in 2000 and who in 2003 went on a golfing trip to St. Andrews in Scotland with Jack Abramoff – $2,400 
  
• Joel Starr, a State Department attorney who was a speechwriter on President George H.W. Bush’s 1992 campaign — $4,800
• Alex Castellanos, a Republican media strategist, a top media adviser to Bush’s 2004 campaign and a partner at National Media, Inc. — $1,000
• Keith Crass, a Republican candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives — $500
• Ray C. Dillon, president, CEO and director of Deltic Timber Corporation — $1,000
• James Dyke, a communications adviser to Bush and a former RNC communications director — $250
• Kelly Eichler, an attorney who worked in then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) administration — $250
• Adrian Gray, the National Voter Contact Director for Bush’s 2004 campaign — $500
• William Asa Hutchinson III,  an associate solicitor in the Patent and Trademark Office and an attorney for the Commerce Department during the Bush administration. He is the son of Asa Hutchinson, a former House member from northwest Arkansas who served at the Department of Homeland Security in the Bush administration. Asa Hutchinson is also a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas — $500
• David Kustoff, a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee who was appointed by Bush — $1,000
• Mary Matalin, Republican strategist  – $250
  
• Mark McKinnon, media consultant to Bush and Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign — $250
• William C. Nolan, chairman of the board of Murphy Oil Corporation — $2,400
• Mark Rayder, a Republican lobbyist and senior policy adviser at Alston & Bird – $500
• Matthew Rhoades, the research director for Bush’s 2004 campaign and is a former research director/deputy communications director to the RNC — $1,000
• Robin Roberts, president of National Media, Inc. and the media buyer for Bush’s 2000 campaign — $1,000
• Natalie Rule, former director of public affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under Bush, deputy communications director at the 2004 Republican National Convention and the spokeswoman for Bush’s inaugural committee in 2001 — $250.
• Travis Thomas, the national finance director of Bush’s 2004 campaign — $250
• Michael Zito, a former trial attorney at the Federal Trade Commission — $250