Crawford leads Causey in cash after primary

Arkansas congressional candidate Rick Crawford heads into the general election campaign with a cash advantage over Democratic nominee Chad Causey, thanks to a contentious Democratic primary fight that sapped Causey and undermined his superior fundraising performance.

Crawford will report this week that he ended the second quarter with $221,000 in the bank, easily surpassing Causey’s $90,000 campaign account. Crawford, a broadcaster, raised $131,000 during the second three months of 2010, according to figures provided to POLITICO.

Causey, a former chief of staff to retiring Rep. Marion Berry, raised more money in the quarter, taking in $416,000. But he spent more than $420,000 in a harsh primary against former state Sen. Tim Wooldridge. Causey accused the conservative Wooldridge of being a Republican in disguise, while Wooldridge hammered Causey for being unmarried and not having kids.

The after-effects of the primary aren’t just financial: Wooldridge hasn’t yet endorsed Causey and recently called Crawford a “fine fella.”

Causey’s overall fundraising take suggests he’ll have the resources to compete with Crawford over the long run. He’s raised $686,000 over the course of the whole campaign, compared with $369,000 for Crawford.

Causey unveiled an expanded campaign staff last week, announcing that Candace Martin, a former aide to Gov. Mike Beebe, will serve as deputy campaign manager and Gabe Holmstrom, a a former executive director of the Arkansas Democratic Party, will be a senior strategist.

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