New York's Ball Added to NRCC's 'Young Guns' Program

[ccharles000]

New York Assemblyman Greg Ball became the 15th candidate to join the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program Monday.

Ball, who is taking on second-term Democratic Rep. John Hall in New York's 19th District, was added to the first tier of the party program for GOP candidate recruits, known as "On the Radar," part of a three-step process toward earning the label "Young Gun." The program began in 2007 as a counterweight to a similar system used by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to groom their top crop of challengers, called "Red to Blue."

"By achieving 'On the Radar' status, Ball has already proven his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve important fundraising goals," the NRCC said in a release.

To move up, candidates are expected to meet certain outreach and fundraising benchmarks.

"If a campaign is far enough to reach 'Young Gun,' they will probably win a primary," NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told reporters in announcing the first round of "On the Radar" candidates last month. He added, though, "That is not an indication that I will endorse them or that their delegation will endorse them."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/08/new-yorks-ball-added-to-nrccs.html