POLITICO

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DNC provided half a million for Nelson air cover

I noted here a couple of unusual, off-cycle ads in Nebraska, defending Ben Nelson, and wondered how the Nebraska Democratic Party was paying for them.

Joe Sudbay has the answer:

According to the Nebraska Democratic Committee's latest FEC report, it received a contribution of $459,760.00 from the DNC. Here's a screen capture from the FEC report, which can be seen in full here (It's the "Year End" for 2009):

But a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Jim Manley, told POLITICO the money was not part of the deal to get Nelson's vote.

Sudbay grumbles:

For the record, at the end of December, when the DNC gave the Nebraska Democratic Party almost $500,000, Martha Coakley was running for the Senate. She would have been a vote for real reform. And, her TV ads really sucked.

UPDATED with Manley response.

UPDATE: The DNC also denied a deal.

More . . .

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