Wisconsin’s 8th district U.S. representative is getting a fundraising boost from the Speaker of the House. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) will be the featured guest at a $1,000-a-plate event in Appleton this weekend.
Reid Ribble is the incumbent Republican Congressman representing northeastern Wisconsin. This is Ribble’s first bid for re-election and he’s enlisting the speaker’s help.
Saturday’s event will cost $1,000 for a photo opportunity with up to two people along with John Boehner, or $200 for entrance. The event is being held at a private residence and is not open to the media.
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Wendy Scattergood is a political scientist and pollster at St. Norbert College in De Pere: “Boehner wouldn’t be here if they thought it was a shoo-in, if they thought it was a completely safe race.”
Ribble is one of 242 Republicans in the current Congress. Scattergood says John Boehner must prioritize who he fundraises for during the body’s five week vacation, “That does make it interesting that he’s here. We don’t have any polling data to show if it’s a close race, but we do know from past history that Obama carried the 8th Congressional District in 2008 and we had Rep. Kagen, a Democrat… But then Reid Ribble came in on the wave in 2010.”
Ribble faces Democratic challenger Jamie Wall this fall. Wall is hosting his own cookout in Appleton this weekend to counter the visit from Boehner.
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