Tagged: Brooks Wicker

In Kentucky's Third Congressional District race, Republican challenger Brooks Wicker continues to trail Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth by a huge fundraising margin.

According to federal election financing records Wicker filed another abysmal fundraising total while Yarmuth increased his contributions. The GOP challenger raised a mere $2,600 during the second quarter compared to $184,000 raised by the Yarmuth campaign.

In the first quarter Wicker raised $3,000 while Yarmuth garnered $80,000.

Wicker campaign spokesman Josh Weill says the campaign got a late start, but points to fundraising events with Papa John's founder John Schnatter as a sign that things are starting to turn around.

"We’re never going to out spend John Yarmuth. That’s not going to happen. We don’t need to have more money than he does. We just need to have enough and I feel confident that we will have enough when the time comes,” he says.

In the Third District Congressional race, independent candidate Robert L. DeVore Jr. has filed to run against Republican Brooks Wicker and Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth in the fall election.

DeVore ran for Congress in the GOP primary in 2008 under a conservative platform that sought to make English the country's primary language and separate Social Security from the federal budget.

At the time he released a rather bizarre campaign announcement video explaining his views.

Check it out:

Republican congressional candidate Brooks Wicker won’t commit to keeping current House Speaker John Boehner in the position if he defeats Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth this fall.

Since taking control of Congress, the GOP caucus has had some internal infighting and conservative activists have been critical of Speaker John Boehner, who has clashed with Tea Party lawmakers over the debt ceiling and other negotiations.

Some national conservative groups have publicly called for Boehner's ouster as House leader.

Wicker says he won’t commit to voting for Boehner or not, and hopes other lawmakers will be vying for the position.

"I have questions about some of the issues and positions that have been taken. I would prefer to have an open election for the seat," he told 84 WHAS radio show host Mandy Connell. "Hopefully there will be other people who will contest him for that leadership position and we’ll be able to have a true election for the leader."

Speaking on the House floor Friday, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., suggested Republican lawmakers have not read the Affordable Care Act and accused them of misleading Americans about President Obama's health care overhaul.

Check it out (h/t FatLip):

Republican congressional candidate Brooks Wicker is frustrated by the lack of interest from the Louisville GOP to unseat Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth in the fall election.

The Louisville Young Republicans recently organized an event where Wicker criticized the "defeatist attitude" among fellow Republicans. He also decried the party’s executive committee for failing to support his bid and not having enough bumper stickers on their cars.

Wicker says those comments were taken out of context, but that local GOP activists and rank-and-file members are looking past the race.

"It’s a segment of the party that I’m talking about," he says. "I’m not talking about the leadership of the executive committee and I’m not talking about anybody that’s in a leadership position at this point. I’m talking about the other people when I’m reaching out to activists and to past participants in the Republican process."

Republican congressional candidate Brooks Wicker called on Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth to vote against the medical device tax in the president’s healthcare law on Thursday. 

The Affordable Care Act includes a 2.3 percent tax on certain devices to pay for the legislation with an anticipated $29 billion over the next decade. Despite a veto threat from President Obama, the GOP-controlled House passed legislation to repeal the fee by a 241-to-173 vote.

Supporters of the repeal cite a study from the healthcare industry that warns about higher prices and the loss of  manufacturing jobs.

Speaking in front of Humana Inc., Wicker told a handful of supporters the tax makes pacemakers and knee replacements more expensive, and Yarmuth needs to explain his support of President Obama’s law.

"I’m calling on him to explain to the citizens of the Third District why he continues to support legislation– Obamacare—which the overwhelming number of people in this community do not support,” he says.