A lawmaker who doubles as Virginia GOP leader is harvesting money for fellow Republicans but says he's still in compliance with a prohibition on fundraising during the General Assembly session.
Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, R-Prince William, appealed for funds for the Republican Party of Virginia in a Jan. 9 letter that arrived at some households in the Richmond area this week.
Frederick said he has not violated the fundraising restriction -- put in place by Republicans after their takeover of the legislature in 2000 -- because the letter went out before the General Assembly convened Jan. 14.
"It's no different than the governor holding a fundraiser before the session," Frederick said yesterday. "We haven't broken any law."
The letter surfaced after a decision by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, to cancel a reception Monday at the Executive Mansion that was part of a fundraising drive by the Farm Team, a political-action committee backing Democratic women for local and state office.
Gordon Hickey, Kaine's spokesman, said it was a mistake for the Farm Team to link the solicitation to an event at the governor's taxpayer-supplied residence.
"Once it became clear that it looked that way, he pulled the plug on it," Hickey said.
The Frederick letter seeks contributions ranging from $1,200 to $3,600, saying they are necessary to block further Democratic gains.
In November, Virginians will choose Kaine's successor and decide on continued Republican control of the House of Delegates, the party's last redoubt of power. Democrats gained control of the state Senate in November 2007.
"In essence, we are the 'Republican Alamo,'" wrote Frederick, who is identified in the letter as state GOP chairman. "The Obama Democratic tide stops -- and the national Republican resurgence begins here."
Kaine was selected by President Barack Obama as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, providing the Virginian with a muscular forum from which he can raise and spend millions of dollars on behalf of candidates across the country.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.
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