Democrats and their allies have pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the 11th Congressional District to help improve the odds for state Sen. Debbie Halvorson of Crete, while Republicans have largely let their candidate Martin Ozinga III fend for himself, until now.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Monday the group will contribute the maximum $84,000 in direct or indirect aid allowable by law to Ozinga in the coming weeks.

Cole said the race for the seat of retiring Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, is among at least 50 and maybe 60 seats the NRCC will seek to influence in the stretch run. He said the committee had not moved to help Ozinga and other candidates so far due to limited funds.

"This is a 'don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes,' " strategy, Cole said.

The NRCC and its independent expenditure wing, which cannot coordinate with the NRCC or a candidate, have stayed on the sidelines while Ozinga quickly put together his campaign this summer. A relative newcomer to elected politics, Ozinga got into the race in April after party chairmen drafted him to replace primary winner Tim Baldermann, the New Lenox mayor who withdrew in February.

At a meeting with reporters, Cole said, "I called him last week, happened to catch him and his wife having lunch. (I said) 'Let me make your lunch better.' "

Cole said the committee is "super pleased with him as a candidate" and feels he fits the mood of the electorate, which he said is disgruntled with established politicians. He said the NRCC feels adequate money, a Republican-leaning district and what he called a "nontraditional candidate," makes the district a competitive race.

"Ozinga may be one of the interesting stories of the election for us. We're a big believer in him."

Andy Sere, Ozinga's campaign manager, said only, "We are pleased to have the NRCC's support, and we look forward to working together with them to achieve victory in November."

The NRCC aid, by itself, pales against the $549,416 poured into the district by the independent expenditure wing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the $91,923 by EMILY's List. The DCCC also has anted up $3,808 in coordinated expenses on Halvorson's behalf. Cole said he did not know what the NRCC's independent expenditures might be.

The confirmation of NRCC backing came just after Halvorson began running her second television spot, in which she criticizes Ozinga for saying health care is available to all, even if through emergency rooms.

"There are 47 million people without health insurance. How out of touch can you be?" Halvorson asks in the ad. The Ozinga campaign alleged the ad reversed her pledge to run a positive campaign.

Halvorson's campaign manager Brian Doory said Ozinga is "taking a page out of the Karl Rove playbook" and that Halvorson "has made clear all along that she will offer voters a contrast in the race and will defend herself from Ozinga's misleading attacks."

He also said Ozinga's support from the NRCC shows he has "impressed Bush loyalists in Washington by his effectiveness at gaming the system in Illinois, by giving tens of thousands in contributions and receiving millions in government contracts."