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WASHINGTON The suddenly national congressional contest between Rep. Joe Wilson and challenger Rob Miller has blown past the $4 million fundraising record for any U.S. House race in South Carolina - and is on pace to challenge the most expensive campaigns in the country's history.
Despite saying they want to move beyond Wilson's now famous "you lie!" yell at President Obama, Wilson and Miller continued to capitalize on the national attention the Springdale Republican's outburst has brought their campaign.
As the Sept. 30 deadline approached, both men intensively sought money to bulk up their third-quarter totals.
"Help us take back Washington," Wilson tweeted supporters Wednesday. "Please watch this video and make a donation today."
With 12,163 Twitter followers, Wilson was the third most popular House member on the social-networking Web site, ahead of his congressional boss, House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio, and gaining ground on Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the top of the list.
After an initial surge of online donations, Wilson had received thousands of mailed donations from around the country, Preston Grisham, Wilson's campaign manager, said Friday.
Miller, a Beaufort Democrat, attended a $250-a-plate fundraiser at a seafood restaurant in Washington, hosted by former aides to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and former Sen. Fritz Hollings.
"Thanks to everybody that was able to contribute last night before the end of the quarter!" Miller tweeted Thursday to his backers. "Honored by your support."
The number of Miller's Facebook friends jumped to 3,000 on Sept. 13 - four days after Wilson shouted at Obama as he addressed Congress - and continued climbing to 6,000 on Monday.
Wilson strayed far from his district last week, embarking on what he called a "thank you tour" to greet Upstate supporters who, along with conservative activists around the country, have hailed him as a hero for rebuking Obama.
Wilson also had scheduled appearances at weekend fund-raisers for Republican lawmakers in Michigan and Missouri.
The congressman said he'd turned down most requests to speak to Republican groups or raise money for GOP officeholders and candidates across the country.
"I've received hundreds of invitations," Wilson told McClatchy. "I've had dozens of members of Congress ask me to appear in their districts. (Rep.) Michele Bachmann said, 'Joe, you're a hero in Minnesota.' I love traveling the country, but I love traveling the Second District more."
Miller mocked Wilson for basking in his newfound fame.
"He's out there on his 'thank you tour,' " Miller said Friday in an interview. "He should be doing an apology tour. He should be apologizing to every teacher, every law enforcement official, every man, woman and child in South Carolina for being disrespectful to the president."
Wilson apologized to Obama after his Sept. 9 yell on prime-time TV, and the president accepted his apology. The House of Representatives passed a "resolution of disapproval" reprimanding Wilson on Sept. 15, with Rep. Bob Inglis of Travelers Rest, S.C,. joining just six other Republican lawmakers in voting for it.
Wilson, a retired Army National Guard colonel, and Miller, a former Marine Corps captain, aren't required to file third-quarter fundraising data with the Federal Election Commission until Oct. 15.
But veteran campaign operatives said the Wilson-Miller money totals through Sept. 30 certainly will exceed the $4million spent by Democratic Rep. John Spratt of York, S.C., and Republican Ralph Norman over the entire 24-month campaign cycle for their 2006 election, the highest combined total ever for a S.C. congressional race.
A $4 million total through three quarters would put Wilson and Miller on pace to raise nearly $10.7 million over their whole campaign.
In the most expensive House race on record, GOP Rep. Jim Rogan and victorious Democratic challenger Adam Schiff spent more than $11.5 million in Southern California in 2000.
Wilson, first sent to Congress in a December 2001 special election to replace the late Rep. Floyd Spence, and Miller, an Iraq War veteran, have more than doubled the nearly $1.8million they raised in their first race.
Wilson defeated Miller by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin last November, by far the closest election result in his political career in the U.S. House and the S.C. Senate.
