The 527 attacking Mike Beebe (and occasionally some smaller Democratic candidates) is clearly a Republican organization, though A$a has insisted there’s no coordination. Right.
This Washington Post article explains where some of the money is coming from, unprecedented fund-raising by the Republican Governors Association. Much as The Huckster differs from A$a on some key policy issues, he’s apparently still willing to throw some crumbs his way. (Actually, Mitt Romney gets credit for the RGA’s new vigor.)
Until 2002, the RGA relied on the Republican National Committee’s largess to fund its activities. The groups split after the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which banned the RNC — but not the RGA — from accepting large checks from individual contributors.
Since the split, the RGA has operated independently of the national party, making donations directly to campaigns as well as funding ads in individual states.
To date, the RGA has funded political ads in Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Nevada, Maine and Alaska; made major contributions to third-party groups in Colorado, Iowa and Arkansas; and directly contributed to candidates in seven states.