Chamber of Commerce spending another $500,000 to defeat Schneider

WASHINGTON–The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending another $500,000 to defeat Rep. Brad Schneider D-Ill., and elect former Rep. Bob Dold R-Ill., pouring in $1 million since May to influence the north suburban 10th congressional district race, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports.

The Washington D.C.-based Republican allied U.S. chamber told the Federal Election Commission in a report filed Friday that it is spending $225,000 in TV and digital ads to support Dold and $225,000 in TV and digital ads to beat freshman Schneider, who narrowly defeated Dold with 50.63 percent of the vote in 2012.

So far, all of the outside spending in this highly contested race has been aimed at helping Dold, who was beat after serving one term in Congress.

Crossroads GPS, which supports Republicans, is spending $640,000 in ads attacking Schneider that started last Sunday and running through Sept. 3.

In my Thursday column, I reported that Crossroads–a spinoff of a group founded by Karl Rove–was running an ad attacking Schneider for not wanting to repeal Obamacare. That spot potentially hurt Dold more than helped him for several reasons, including that at present, Dold is not calling for the repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law, even though he has in the past. The Dold campaign, working to portray Dold as an independent-minded moderate Republican was not pleased with the ad because it was so off-message

The Schneider campaign is sending out fundraising appeals invoking Rove’s name.