Quinn Gillespie & Associates‘s Democrats and Republicans were on the fundraising scene Wednesday night. QGA’s Democratic brethren, led by Jack Quinn co-hosted, along with AT&T and law firm Wiley Rein, a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser at Bistro Bis. The event —which featured DSCC Chairwoman Patty Murray of Washington and Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Jon Tester of Montana, Tom Udall of New Mexico, and two candidates for Senate, Reps. Shelley Berkley of Nevada and Chris Murphy of Connecticut — raised nearly $400,000. Meanwhile, QGA Republican Marc Lampkin co-hosted a fundraiser with Melissa Khan of Metlife for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The event is expected to raise more than $125,000.

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Although there is much talk among political observers about the possibility of a brokered GOP convention in Tampa, Republican National Committee Communications Director Sean Spicer is not buying it.

“The last time we had a brokered convention was in the 1940’s, and we’re four contests in that have awarded delegates,” Mr. Spicer told me on Wednesday.  ”We are four weeks and four states into a process. I get that it’s the buzz, but I literally spend as much time worrying if some space alien attack happens.”

A brokered convention will happen if a candidate does not win enough delegates during the primary and caucus period to attain a pre-established majority during the first official ballot at the nominating convention. The last Republican brokered convention nominee was Thomas Dewey in 1948. However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, was the last brokered convention nominee to win the presidency in 1932…

…Marc Lampkin of the DC based QGA public affairs told me on Tuesday, ”It becomes difficult for the candidate as the candidate to build an infrastructure. Most likely, it would mean they would have to take matching money which would probably put them at a huge disadvantage against Obama.”

Mr. Lampkin served as senior deputy campaign manager on the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign and a political operative at the 2000 Republican Convention.

“There’s a huge disadvantage if you don’t get the keys to the kingdom. You get your money and your limited only in that in that amount of money it takes to you get from matching funds.”

Lampkin, though, does point out that the Republican National Committee (RNC) is already working on a 50 state presidential election plan in terms of  ”building voter ID and identification activities.” Whoever is the GOP nominee, brokered convention or not, will already have the RNC’s built up infrastructure there for them.

“The legacy of the Michael Steele tenure means (the RNC) is a little bit in the hole, but I think that Reince Priebus has been doing a pretty good job in building out the infrastructure. That stuff you can do with non-presidential money,” said Lampkin.

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Those are the presidential campaign strategies becoming clear as fundraising efforts and spending plans shine some light on how the Republican race will play out through February and on to a showdown on Super Tuesday on March 6 when 10 states vote…

Gingrich, who represented Georgia for years in the U.S. House of Representatives, had been deemed a favorite in his home territory but Santorum’s strong emergence is turning up the heat.

“Both Newt and Santorum assume that Mitt is not going to do well in Old Dixie and they’re both trying to compete there,” said Republican strategist John Feehery.

“Romney needs those states to get some mojo going,” Feehery said. “He’s got to stop the momentum going the other way.”

Romney is by far the best fundraiser of the four Republican candidates, although he still falls short of the campaign war chest being built up by Obama.

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“Florida, you’re the best!” Romney shouted at the close of his victory speech.

Romney— on the rebound following a thumping in South Carolina from rival Newt Gingrich — has 47 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the polls reporting. He was declared the winner about 20 minutes after the polls closed tonight.

Gingrich is second with 32 percent, Rick Santorum has 13 percent and Ron Paul 7 percent.

With a win tonight Romney is likely to be the Republican nominee, said Washington D.C.-based Republican consultant John Feehery.

“Barring some huge upset, Romney will probably get the nomination,” said Feehery. “This is taking on the qualities of a wrestling federation match, where you know who’s going to win but you don’t know what will happen in between.”

The Gingrich campaign has already said they are in the race to the bitter end…

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The topic is sparking questions about what happened 15 years ago, why House Republicans wanted Gingrich ousted, why so few support him now and what role Rep. John Boehner, now Speaker, played in the botched attempt.

The story of the secret plot, first reported by The Hill’s Sandy Hume, rocked Washington. And although Gingrich survived in 1997, he was politically maimed, resigning in 1998 after Republicans lost seats in the midterm elections. Boehner (R-Ohio) was also removed from his No. 4 leadership post.

For this article, The Hill interviewed Republican lawmakers and aides who served in the House during that tumultuous time…

…What is clear is that there was unrest in the GOP conference. Coming off President Clinton’s successful 1996 reelection, the mishandling of a federal government shutdown and Gingrich’s continuing ethics and media flaps, many Republicans were frustrated with the Speaker that summer.

“All of those things really exhausted people,” said John Feehery, a partner at Quinn Gillespie & Associates, who is neutral in the GOP presidential primary. “People were just sick and tired of his leadership.”

Feehery, also a columnist for The Hill, was DeLay’s communications director at the time.

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Summary

The last time we assessed power in D.C., hope and change were still in the air and a tea party was a game you played with your kids. In a town where everyone inflates their own importance, GQ offers our biennial list of the men and women whose decisions actually matter…

As the House returns Tuesday for the final session of his first term, Obama’s failure to fulfill this central claim of his 2008 campaign has never been more glaringly obvious.

The hard truth is that Washington next year will look indistinguishable from the one Obama warned against during his election-night victory speech, when he called on Republicans and Democrats to “resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.”

Over the next few days, business interests have planned fetes offering lobbyists a chance to mingle — while eating food on toothpicks — with clients, colleagues and government officials. They’ve mixed in a touch of advocacy with a little buzz to boost their business brands. …

Quinn Gillespie & Associates founder Jack Quinn, whose firm’s Christmas party has often been considered a hot ticket, emailed friends and clients that this year’s reception was off.

“This year, we will forego the party and, instead, donate gifts to some of the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces,” he wrote. The firm donated to iPads for Soldiers, which provides tablet computers to troops serving overseas or recuperating after injuries.

Quinn encouraged his contacts to donate to the cause, but the other type of fundraising — the political kind — seemed to be headed for a late December respite.

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Katherine Hamilton: When you’re in the middle of it you really do think it’s the solution to world peace. I mean you really do feel like it’s the answer to everything. You know, you become the hammer and everything looks like a nail. In stepping back, you know, I start to see the real benefits of data and communication, but also understand there is a lot more out there that’s going on.