The Black Conservatives Fund (BCF), a political action committee (PAC) that declares it is “committed to turning out the black vote and elect black conservatives at every level of government,” has launched a fundraising drive around an effort to draft former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to run for U.S. Senate in California to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). A recent poll showed that Rice outperformed all other candidates, actual and potential, from either major party.
Bay Area News Group political reporter Josh Richman flags a similar “Draft Condi” fundraising effort by the Conservative Action Fund (CAF), questioning its sincerity and calling the CAF “the poster child for what some are calling ‘scam PACs‘ that spend a lot more money on their own fundraising, salaries and other administrative costs than they give to or spend on behalf of candidates.”
In contrast, a recent analysis suggests that the BCF spends 64% of its funds on independent expenditures and direct contributions, which is among the best efforts in the 2014 cycle by conservative PACs.
Contacted on Tuesday, BCF Board of Advisors member and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell noted that 2014 had been a “very good cycle” for the group. He declined to comment on the CAF effort except to say, “The more, the merrier.”
Last week, BCF launched its effort with a post on its Facebook page that had received 491 “likes” as of Tuesday morning. A fundraising email sent Tuesday to members of the BCF reads, in part:
Former Secretary of State Condi Rice, a fantastic black conservative, is currently leading in the polls in California.
But so far, she still hasn’t announced a campaign. So we must convince her to run!
Please make a special generous contribution of $15, $25, $35, $50, $100, $250, or whatever you can afford today to help us launch the Draft Condi Rice for U.S. Senate effort today.
Rice has yet to show public interest in running.
BCF Board of Advisors member Sonnie Johnson, a Breitbart News contributor, commented: “I’ve always operated under the recognition Condi Rice is a grown woman. If she wanted to run for Congress, she has all the Bush connections to make it happen.
“The real fight is getting the black community to understand and consider conservative principles.”
Senior Editor-at-Large Joel B. Pollak edits Breitbart California and is the author of the forthcoming ebook, Wacko Birds: The Fall (and Rise) of the Tea Party, available for Amazon Kindle.
Follow Joel on Twitter: @joelpollak
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