Fundraising Reports Paint Competitive Political Landscape

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Author	Rating: 0 Topic: Fundraising Reports Paint Competitive Political Landscape (Read 504 times)
jwilkes Posts: 966	Fundraising Reports Paint Competitive Political Landscape « Reply #0: Jul 14, 2009, 1:11 PM » Rating: 0 Rate: Rated +- The second fundraising quarter for the 2009 year ended on June 31, and even though political campaigns have until July 15 to report their totals to the Federal Election Commission, some interesting numbers are already emerging. At this juncture, fundraising numbers provide an interesting insight into just how viable candidates will be in the long run, and often times will give an indication of whether or not an individual is considering getting involved in a given race. Take Delaware Republican Representative Michael Castle, who told reporters that he's more likely to either run for the Senate in 2010 or retire than to run for reelection to the House seat he's held since 1992 (he also served as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Delaware throughout the 80s). If his fundraising numbers are any sign of his intentions, the 70-year-old fixture of Delaware politics may end up retiring. He raised just $125,000 in the second quarter of the year, following a first quarter of just over $75,000, for a total of $850,000 in his campaign account. If he's seriously considering a bid against Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden , those numbers aren't going to make him competitive. Given, Biden hasn't even declared his candidacy, and therefore hasn't raised any money at all. But the vice president's son is going to have a major fundraising advantage, and despite Castle's strong polling numbers (he actually leads Biden currently), he's going to have a tough time overcoming the power of Biden's well-established network. Sarah Palin put up some intriguing numbers as well. SarahPAC, the soon-to-be-former Alaska Governor's leadership committee, raised more than three-quarters of a million dollars in the first six months of 2009 with a less-than-aggressive outreach effort. It shows that, nationally, Palin can translate her celebrity-like popularity into real campaign cash. She'll need to improve on that significantly, but it's a positive sign for a woman considering running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Chris Dodd also posted a monster quarter. The embattled Senator- considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in 2010- raked in $1.2 million in the last three months, outraising every other candidate in the race, including Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons ($750,000). That should bolster his reelection hopes, demonstrating that even at the center of a storm of political criticism, he's still a formidable candidate. The Texas gubernatorial race is staying interesting as well. A battle of the titans in emerging, with Governor Rick Perry seeking a third term, and longtime Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson signaling her intention to take on Perry in the GOP primary. Perry reportedly raised more than $4.2 million in just 9 days following the Texas legislative session, giving him more than $9 million on hand. Hutchinson has yet to release her fundraising numbers. Rep. Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter are fighting out a primary battle of their own, for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania. Sestak raised more than $1 million in the quarter, giving him a robust campaign account in excess of $4.2 million. While Specter hasn't yet released his figures, he's still likely well ahead of Sestak, having began the second quarter with more than $6.7 million. Florida's Senate race is attracting large amounts of money as well, will Republican Governor Charlie Crist raising $4.3 million in just six weeks since announcing his candidacy. If Republican state House Speaker Marco Rubio thought he had an uphill battle against the well-known governor, that hill is even steeper now: Rubio posted just $350,000 over the last three months. Surprisingly, Democrat Kendrick Meek- though not quite keeping pace with Crist- put up some impressive figures of his own, $1.2 million on the quarter. And finally, in Kentucky, Republican Senator Jim Bunning says he expects that he's raised less than primary challenger Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who put up just over $600,000 since jumping into the race on May 6. Bunning has been plagued by lackluster fundraising, having pulled in just $250,000 in the first quarter. He's going to need a lot more than that if he expects to fend off Grayson. A couple other numbers to watch for tomorrow: David Paterson is beyond vulnerable in New York, so his numbers- as well as those of his potential challenger, Attorney General Mario Cuomo- will be enlightening. Senator Kirstin Gillibrand, also of the Empire State, is expected to post strong numbers, which will go a long way in determining how strong her likely primary challenger, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, will ultimately be. Also, keep an eye on Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, who declared his candidacy for the Senate in 2010 early on. Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte will be a strong candidate, but if Hodes posts strong numbers, he may deal her an early blow that will be difficult to recover from. Report Abuse

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jwilkes

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Fundraising Reports Paint Competitive Political Landscape

« Reply #0: Jul 14, 2009, 1:11 PM »

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The second fundraising quarter for the 2009 year ended on June 31, and even though political campaigns have until July 15 to report their totals to the Federal Election Commission, some interesting numbers are already emerging.

At this juncture, fundraising numbers provide an interesting insight into just how viable candidates will be in the long run, and often times will give an indication of whether or not an individual is considering getting involved in a given race.

Take Delaware Republican Representative Michael Castle, who told reporters that he's more likely to either run for the Senate in 2010 or retire than to run for reelection to the House seat he's held since 1992 (he also served as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Delaware throughout the 80s). If his fundraising numbers are any sign of his intentions, the 70-year-old fixture of Delaware politics may end up retiring. He raised just $125,000 in the second quarter of the year, following a first quarter of just over $75,000, for a total of $850,000 in his campaign account. If he's seriously considering a bid against Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden , those numbers aren't going to make him competitive. Given, Biden hasn't even declared his candidacy, and therefore hasn't raised any money at all. But the vice president's son is going to have a major fundraising advantage, and despite Castle's strong polling numbers (he actually leads Biden currently), he's going to have a tough time overcoming the power of Biden's well-established network.

Sarah Palin put up some intriguing numbers as well. SarahPAC, the soon-to-be-former Alaska Governor's leadership committee, raised more than three-quarters of a million dollars in the first six months of 2009 with a less-than-aggressive outreach effort. It shows that, nationally, Palin can translate her celebrity-like popularity into real campaign cash. She'll need to improve on that significantly, but it's a positive sign for a woman considering running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Chris Dodd also posted a monster quarter. The embattled Senator- considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in 2010- raked in $1.2 million in the last three months, outraising every other candidate in the race, including Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons ($750,000). That should bolster his reelection hopes, demonstrating that even at the center of a storm of political criticism, he's still a formidable candidate.

The Texas gubernatorial race is staying interesting as well. A battle of the titans in emerging, with Governor Rick Perry seeking a third term, and longtime Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson signaling her intention to take on Perry in the GOP primary. Perry reportedly raised more than $4.2 million in just 9 days following the Texas legislative session, giving him more than $9 million on hand. Hutchinson has yet to release her fundraising numbers.

Rep. Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter are fighting out a primary battle of their own, for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania. Sestak raised more than $1 million in the quarter, giving him a robust campaign account in excess of $4.2 million. While Specter hasn't yet released his figures, he's still likely well ahead of Sestak, having began the second quarter with more than $6.7 million.

Florida's Senate race is attracting large amounts of money as well, will Republican Governor Charlie Crist raising $4.3 million in just six weeks since announcing his candidacy. If Republican state House Speaker Marco Rubio thought he had an uphill battle against the well-known governor, that hill is even steeper now: Rubio posted just $350,000 over the last three months. Surprisingly, Democrat Kendrick Meek- though not quite keeping pace with Crist- put up some impressive figures of his own, $1.2 million on the quarter.

And finally, in Kentucky, Republican Senator Jim Bunning says he expects that he's raised less than primary challenger Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who put up just over $600,000 since jumping into the race on May 6. Bunning has been plagued by lackluster fundraising, having pulled in just $250,000 in the first quarter. He's going to need a lot more than that if he expects to fend off Grayson.

A couple other numbers to watch for tomorrow: David Paterson is beyond vulnerable in New York, so his numbers- as well as those of his potential challenger, Attorney General Mario Cuomo- will be enlightening. Senator Kirstin Gillibrand, also of the Empire State, is expected to post strong numbers, which will go a long way in determining how strong her likely primary challenger, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, will ultimately be. Also, keep an eye on Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, who declared his candidacy for the Senate in 2010 early on. Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte will be a strong candidate, but if Hodes posts strong numbers, he may deal her an early blow that will be difficult to recover from.

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