New Poll Shows Cassidy’s Government Shutdown Could Be Devastating For His 2014 Prospects

Cassidy Banked Less Than $200k In Latest Fundraising Quarter As Conservatives Question His Ability To Defeat Landrieu

New Orleans, Louisiana – It’s been a horrendous quarter for the floundering Cassidy campaign that “has lost steam” after a “dismal earnings report,” while fresh poll numbers now show that Cassidy’s government shutdown could very well sink his dwindling chances in 2014.

Cassidy announced that he raised less than $700k this past quarter, and shockingly banked less than $200k, a mind-blowing burn rate of more than 70 percent that is indicative of a campaign even his fellow Republicans are describing as “stuck in neutral.” Already the Washington Post has named him a “loser” this quarter.

Atop Cassidy’s “fundraising woes,” a new poll on Wednesday showed that Louisianians overwhelmingly opposed Bill Cassidy’s government shutdown by a monstrous 60 to 30 percent margin. Mary Landrieu led Bill Cassidy by 7 percentage points, and when voters were informed about Cassidy’s decision to shut down the government, he trailed by double digits. Worse for Bill Cassidy, Louisianians were polled before his latest vote to continue the government shutdown and send the U.S. economy into default, indicating Cassidy’s support has surely eroded further since then.

Given Bill Cassidy’s support for an indefinite government shutdown, record of trying to enact the same exact health care reforms that make up the Affordable Care Act when he was a state legislator, and history of donating to whichever political party he thinks will best position him for higher office, it’s not exactly a surprise that many in his own party are questioning whether Cassidy can defeat Mary Landrieu in 2014.

State Rep. Alan Seabaugh is now publically-mulling a run for Senate because – in his own words – Bill Cassidy can’t win in 2014, and Louisiana’s leading conservative blog The Hayride now says “Cassidy may not be the party’s best shot at defeating Landrieu.”

“Not only did Bill Cassidy shut down the federal government and vote to send the U.S. economy into default in order to delay the same health care reforms he tried to pass at the state level in 2007, but his anemic fundraising now has his fellow Republicans questioning his ability to be competitive in 2014,” said Campaign for Louisiana Communications Director Andrew Zucker. “As Bill Cassidy’s shameful political calculation continues to backfire and imperil his chances to mount a serious challenge to Mary Landrieu in 2014, his indefinite government shutdown and support for the U.S. defaulting on its debt for the first time in history are proof that he can’t be counted on to fight for Louisiana families.”

BACKGROUND

With Nearly $5.8 Million In The Bank, Senator Landrieu Has More Cash On Hand Than Any Democratic Senator Or Candidate In A Competitive Race. [Roll Call, 10/15/13]

Bill Cassidy Only Increased His Cash On Hand $200,000 From The Second Quarter. [Times-Picayune, 10/14/13; Times-Picayune. 7/9/13]

Five Times, Cassidy Voted For Extreme House Republican Plans That Would Shut Down Government. [Vote #478, 9/20/13; CNN, 9/20/13; CNN, 9/29/13; Vote #498, 9/29/13; Vote 502, 9/30/13; Vote 504, 9/30/13; Vote 505, 10/1/13]

Cassidy Signed A Letter Asking GOP House Leadership Not To Support Any Spending Bill Unless The Affordable Care Act Is Defunded. “U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy joined more than one-third of U.S. House Republicans in urging the leadership to threaten to force a government shutdown unless Obamacare is defunded… The letter that Cassidy signed onto includes 80 of the House’s 233 Republicans and asks the GOP House leadership not to support any spending bill — including a needed continuing resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown after Sept. 30 — unless the Affordable Care Act health care law is defunded.” [The Advocate, 8/25/13]

Cassidy and House Republicans Voted Sixteen Times Against Efforts to Re-Open the Government. Daines and House Republicans voted sixteen times against efforts to vote on a clean government funding resolution by allowing consideration of the Senate-passed continuing resolution. [H Res 370, Vote #509, 10/02/13; HJ Res 70, Vote #512, 10/02/13; HR 3230, Vote #515, 10/03/13; HJ Res 72, Vote #517, 10/03/13; H Res 371, Vote #519, 10/04/13; HJ Res 85, Vote #521, 10/04/13; HJ Res 75, Vote #523, 10/04/13; H J Res 77,  Vote #527, 10/7/13; HJ Res 84, Vote #529, 10/08/13; H Res 373, Vote #531, 10/08/13; HR 3273, Vote #533, 10/08/13; HJ Res 90, Vote #536, 10/09/13; HJ Res 79, Vote #539, 10/10/13; HJ Res 76, Vote #541, 10/11/13; HJ Res 80, Vote #547, 10/14/13; HJ Res 80, Vote #549, 10/14/13]

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