Press Release:
(BATAVIA, NY) - Decorated combat veteran David Bellavia today accused Jane Corwin, the candidate of the Republican elite, of reneging on her commitment to self-fund her race - a broken promise that will cost real conservative Congressmen their seats in 2012.
"When the Erie County Republican chairman force-fed Jane Corwin to Western New York GOP organizations as his hand-picked candidate to replace Rep. Chris Lee, he said it was because she promised to spend $5 million on the race," Bellavia said. "Today it looks like she won't after all - and national Republican organizations are instead paying the bill."
"Where is Jane's $5 million?" Bellavia asked. "And why is she putting real conservative Congressmen at risk just to save a buck, when she's reportedly got $140 million in her checking account?"
To shore up one of the worst-run campaigns in recent Republican history, national GOP political action committess and their allies have committed to spending at least $1 million in the 26th Congressional District race. Bellavia said this puts more solid conservatives in harm's way in the next election cycle.
"Today Retired Army LTC Allen West, a combat veteran, is the number one target of the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee in 2012 and they will pour millions of dollars into his opponent's campaign," Bellavia said. "Today Rep. West is the darling of the Tea Party movement and a potential candidate for Vice President - but because of Jane Corwin's miserable campaign, Rep. West and a dozen other targeted Republicans may not have the funding necessary to win in 2012."
"The only reason she was selected was because she could buy the seat herself," Bellavia said. "But now that the bill has arrived, Jane is headed to the powder room."
ABOUT DAVID BELLAVIA
David Bellavia is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who served in the 1st Infantry Division (Task Force 2-2). He was recommended for the Medal of Honor, nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross, and received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Conspicuous Service Cross. In 2006 he was invited to attend the President's State of the Union address as an honored guest. In 2004, Bellavia was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story titled "Into the Hot Zone" which won a Pulitzer Prize. He is the author of the best selling book, "House to House," an account of his experience leading a platoon in the Battle of Fallujah published by the Free Press in 2007. Bellavia has endorsed Jack Davis in the hotly-contested special election, who is running on the Tea Party line.
