Rep. Wilson applies business practices to politics

As a business owner, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson knows you've got to spend money to be successful.
If a business owner spends money the right way he'll recoup it and then some in the future.
Wilson subscribes to the same theory when it comes to politics. And why not? It seems to be working for the freshman congressman.
When Wilson's path to Congress hit a major pothole in February 2006, he put his money where his mouth is.
Wilson, a St. Clairsville Democrat, failed to gather enough valid signatures to get his name on his party's primary ballot for the 6th Congressional District seat.
Wilson gave 552,709 toward his write-in campaign to win the Democratic primary. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also spent about 600,000 to get Wilson's name out. The money from Wilson and the DCCC went almost exclusively to television advertising and mailed fliers, including some that showed people how to write in his name.
In a move that still leaves some confused, the National Republican Congressional Committee spent about 500,000, primarily on television ads attacking Wilson.
As a write-in candidate, Wilson's top priority was to increase his name identity. Despite the negative message about Wilson in the attack ads, the NRCC commercials made Wilson almost a household name in the 6th District that includes all of Columbiana and most of Mahoning counties. It worked so well that even voters in the 17th Congressional District wrote in Wilson's name on the primary ballot.
Before the primary, Republicans were salivating about the seat saying it was No. 1 on their list of open congressional seats in the country. Ted Strickland, a Lisbon Democrat, opted not to seek re-election to Congress and successfully ran for governor.
Republicans believed they had a great candidate in then-state Rep. Chuck Blasdel of East Liverpool, and that Wilson was vulnerable when it came to ethics issues. When Wilson failed to get the needed 50 valid signatures to have his name on the Democratic ballot, Republicans became even more confident of a Blasdel victory.
But as we know, the campaign didn't work out that way. After winning the Democratic primary, Wilson easily defeated Blasdel in the November general election.
Wilson's confidence in his victory led him to start paying some of that 552,709 he loaned his campaign before the election.
The amounts were modest in comparison to the loan: 5,000 on Sept. 20, 2,100 on Sept. 26, 2,500 on Oct. 16, and 5,000 on Oct. 18.
Shortly after the election, the amounts were still small change for Wilson: 3,750 on Nov. 21, 2006, and 2,500 on Nov. 27.
While the campaign has a long way to go towards paying all of Wilson's loan, it made a decent dent between Dec. 14 and Dec. 31, according to a campaign finance report released this week. During those days, Wilson's campaign gave him 60,209 to repay a portion of the loan, including 47,209 on Dec. 14.
Through the end of 2006, Wilson received 81,059 of the 552,709 he gave his campaign, less than 15 percent of the loan.
It would be reasonable to think that some of Wilson's contributors would be bothered that the millionaire congressman is using their money to pay back a personal loan that was needed only because the campaign failed to get enough valid signatures.
But this is politics, and reasonable doesn't always apply.
Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 31, Wilson received 17,000 in campaign contributions, all from political action committees. Except for two 1,000 contributions, the 10 other contributors gave Wilson 15,000 for the specific purpose of paying off his primary election debt, according to his campaign finance report.
Those kind souls include the American Crystal Sugar Co. PAC, the American Resort Development Association PAC, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association PAC, and the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC.
The rest of the 45,209 Wilson received in December to pay a portion of his outstanding loan was sitting in his campaign fund thanks to past donors.
Wilson's campaign fund had about 60,000 in it as of Dec. 31. But a few fundraisers over the next few years could help Wilson recoup the rest of the loan, if that's what he wants to do.