As we approach the one year mark out from the November Elections of 2010, many candidates have begun to establish themselves as formidable opponents – at least in the fundraising department, while others appear less than up to the task. You may not have heard of the race shaping up between Fincher and Tanner in Tennessee, but there are a few like names like Joe Wilson and Alan Grayson that you will surely recognize. While fundraising is not the only measure of the potential successes or failures of a campaign, it can certainly go a long way to establishing credibility for a candidate hoping to oust a sitting official. Here is a look at some of the fundraising efforts of House and Senate hopefuls being waged across the nation – compiled by Politico.
Winners
In every open seat Senate race, Republicans outraised their Democratic opponents—sometimes by lopsided margins. Their strongest showing came in Ohio, where former Rep. Rob Portman has built up a $5.1 million warchest – over three times as much as his leading Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher
The lightning rods. Members of Congress learned an unmistakable lesson over the last three months: Controversy sells. Some of the most divisive members of Congress raised the biggest bucks, giving them plenty to spend in their rough-and-tumble 2010 campaigns.
The list starts in South Carolina, where Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” outburst against President Barack Obama netted him a whopping $2.69 million–probably enough cash to last for the entire election.
His no-name Democratic opponent, Rob Miller, also milked the controversy for all its worth—he raised $1.69 million over the last three months. Both are fundraising records for House campaigns in South Carolina.
In Florida, Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson suddenly turned one of the weakest fundraising operations among vulnerable Democrats into a cash cow. How? His floor speech proclaiming that the GOP health care plan amounted to wanting seniors to “die quickly!” followed by unapologetic national cable TV appearances referring to Republicans as “foot-dragging, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.”
Grayson raised $347,000, one of the top totals for Democratic House incumbents—and that’s not even counting the thousands of dollars that poured in after the Oct.15 fundraising deadline. Now that he’s become a regular on cable television news, expect him to mint even more money.
The irony is that his newfound fundraising prowess is unnecessary since he’s already one of the richest members of Congress, with an estimated net worth over $31 million.
On the right, conservative lightning rod Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) also benefited from loads of national media exposure. Facing the prospect of a tough re-election campaign, she raised $346,000. And she’s still chugging away: Bachmann launched a fundraising drive last week urging supporters to “stand strong against the Left’s march toward socialism!”and has already raised $121,000 off that appeal.
The Ron Paul revolutionaries. The heirs to Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) libertarian-oriented presidential campaign proved to be just as effective at fundraising as Paul himself.
Republican Rand Paul, the congressman’s son, tapped into his father’s national grassroots network of libertarian-minded donors to raise an eye-popping $1 million—more than anyone else in the open Kentucky Senate contest.
In the Connecticut Senate race, Ron Paul’s former economic adviser Peter Schiff –one of the first economists to predict the oncoming recession—is also making his presence known. He outraised Dodd and led his GOP primary opponents in fundraising with over $1 million.
Underdogs
Some of the highlights: Stephen Fincher, a gospel-singing farmer, raised $308,000 as he faces the tall task of unseating Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), who’s served in Congress since 1988. Tanner, who rarely faces serious competition, raised just $62,000.
Fincher’s total is all the more impressive given that his rural west Tennessee district is one of the poorest in the state, and isn’t filled with a natural donor base—yet most of his donors came from in-state.
Businessman Randy Altschuler, a bundler for John McCain’s presidential campaign, proved his financial prowess against Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). Altschuler raised $211,000 and supplemented that total with $450,000 out of his own pocket. That gives him nearly as much cash-on-hand as Bishop, a four-term incumbent.
And in Mississippi, state Sen. Alan Nunnelee proved he’s a legitimate threat to Democratic Rep. Travis Childers in a conservative Southern district that Democrats picked up in a 2008 special election. He raised $220,000 to start off his campaign, coming in within $50,000 of matching Childers’ fundraising efforts.
Losers
Daydreaming Democrats. When an incumbent facing a serious challenge raises under six figures for the three-month reporting period, it’s a sign that they’re not prepared for a tough re-election campaign.
And Reps. Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) and Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), two of the Republicans’ top targets, did very little to demonstrate they’re ready to rumble. Kissell raised a shockingly low $84,000, even though he’s part of a Democratic program to assist with his financial efforts.
Snyder is in a different situation: He refuses to raise money in the year before his election year. That’s an understandable practice when you don’t face any Republican opposition, as was the case in 2008, but in 2010 he’s likely to face his toughest GOP opponent to date in former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin. Griffin raised $130,000 in the first 10 days since announcing his campaign.
Other Democratic incumbents posting underwhelming totals include North Carolina’s Heath Shuler ($51,000), New Hampshire’s Carol Shea-Porter ($141,000), and New York’s Michael Arcuri ($142,000). All face credible challengers next year.
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I like Paul’s son from the clip you posted, but I am still surprised that Ky would support someone with his positions on religion
[...] 2010: Winners and Losers Businessman Randy Altschuler, proved his financial prowess against Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). Altschuler raised $211,000 and [...]