West forms federal 'leadership PAC'

He's already a platinum YouTube star, Internet traffic generator and cable TV mainstay. Now

freshman U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, has formed a federal "leadership PAC" that could

come in handy if he wants to lift his national profile any higher.

Leadership PACs allow members of Congress - including the three other members of Palm Beach

County's congressional delegation - to raise money at up to $5,000 a pop and distribute

contributions to other candidates.

The committees are often used by those with leadership ambitions to curry favor with

colleagues. On his way to becoming House speaker, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, used his PAC to

hand out $4 million to GOP candidates over the last four election cycles.

The PACs are also useful for officials eyeing higher office. Rookie Illinois Sen. Barack

Obama formed his Hopefund PAC a few weeks after taking office in 2005. By the time the 2006

elections were over, Obama's PAC had raised and spent more than $3.7 million - doling out

more than $700,000 to Democratic candidates and party organs around the nation, spending

about $200,000 on travel and more than $1 million to build a fund-raising network that would

help him win the presidency two years later.

Most leadership PACs operate on a much smaller scale. U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar,

raised $69,000 and spent about $45,000 through his PAC over four years. U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney,

R-Tequesta, raised and spent less than $20,000 with his PAC for the 2010 elections.

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, formed Together Electing Democrats PAC (TEDPAC) shortly

after winning a special election last year and spent about $32,000 on 2010 races.

West, who raised more than $6.4 million for his own campaign last year, plans to use his

Guardian Leadership PAC to support other conservative candidates, West Chief of Staff

Jonathan Blyth said. Asked if West has any larger ambitions, Blyth said, "his focus is on

representing the people of the 22nd District."

    * Democrat Patrick Murphy, who plans to launch a campaign for West's seat this week,

worked the crowd at last Tuesday's labor/Democratic/anti-Rick Scott rally in West Palm Beach

with consultant Eric Johnson. Murphy said he fully expects term-limited West Palm Beach Mayor

Lois Frankel to enter the race.
    * Diana Demarest, campaign manager for losing West Palm Beach city commission candidate

John Cohen, has filed a Florida Elections Commission complaint accusing rival Keith James of

breaking the law by describing himself as a "Life Long Democrat" and including a Democratic

donkey symbol in campaign literature for the nonpartisan race.

James and Diane Cantone face each other in a March 22 runoff.

Florida statutes say a nonpartisan candidate is "prohibited from campaigning or qualifying

for election or retention in office based on party affiliation."

The state Division of Elections told a nonpartisan candidate in a 2003 opinion that "you may

not publicly represent or advertise yourself as a member of any political party." But the

opinion says it's OK to list partisan experience, such "executive committee of ____ party,"

because that "would simply be providing information."