GOP money, troops pour into Mass.

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GOP candidates across the country are rallying behind Republican Scott Brown’s long-shot bid in the Massachusetts Senate special election, flooding his campaign with cash, ground troops and moral support as the unexpectedly tight race enters its final days. Some campaigns are blasting e-mails to supporters, prodding them to cut checks. Others are temporarily turning their headquarters into phone banks. A few are even encouraging volunteers to head to Massachusetts, where Brown faces Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley on Tuesday in a contest for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat. For many of Brown’s fellow GOP candidates, the Jan. 19 Massachusetts special election is turning into an extension of their own campaigns, a chance to offer full-throated support for the party cause—not to mention advance their own political fortunes. While few have said so publicly, there is widespread recognition that a Brown victory in one of the most Democratic of states will go a long way for all Republican candidates, offering the clearest signal yet that voters are rejecting the ambitious Democratic agenda. “Rising tides lift all boats,” said veteran GOP pollster David Winston, explaining the surge of interest in Brown’s campaign. “No matter where they are, it will be of help.” “A lot of people would see this as a national race. If Democrats aren’t safe here, they aren’t safe anywhere,” explained Alex Castellanos, a veteran GOP media consultant who advises the Republicanational Committee. “You want to surf that wave that’s out there, and I’m sure that’s what Republicans are doing.” In South Texas, Republican House challenger Quico Canseco is converting his campaign offices into a phone bank for Brown. As of Thursday morning, Canseco’s campaign said the Saturday and Sunday call times had been filled, and that the campaign expected the Monday and Tuesday slots to be filled soon as well. Volunteers will use phone numbers from a list supplied by Brown’s campaign. “Mr. Brown is going to have 15 phones constantly manned in his effort,” Canseco, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, said in an interview. “We think there is a lot of sui generis energy that’s arising all over the country,” said Canseco. “We think what Scott Brown captured echoes the groundswell we’re seeing here in South Texas.” In suburban Philadelphia, House candidate Steve Welch is also inviting supporters to his campaign headquarters to make calls on Brown’s behalf. “Our campaign is about changing the course of politics in Washington,” Welch wrote in an e-mail to supporters on Wednesday. “Our country needs our help. This Tuesday, January 19, represents a huge milestone for getting our country back on track as voters in Massachusetts go to the polls to elect a new Senator. Scott Brown is an energetic fresh face for our party.”ew York GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio is going one step further: He is privately urging his biggest donors to cut campaign checks to Brown, and on Tuesday Lazio announced that he himself had donated $1,000 to the Massachusetts Republican. Lazio is also asking his supporters to campaign in Massachusetts this weekend. “The fact that his campaign has caught fire is showing that we have lots of opportunities in different parts of the country, particularly in blue states likeew York,” Lazio told POLITICO, noting that in visits to the Queens and Brooklyn Republican parties this week he had urged people to contribute to Brown.“My donation and our urging our donors to give to Scott Brown is a reflection of the fact that his victory will be an important one,” said Lazio. “If Scott Brown can run as close as he is, it tells you there is a large wave building.”Rob Portman, the former Ohio congressman who is run