GOPers Outraise 15 Incumbent Dems
| More than a dozen GOP challengers outraised their Dem rivals in the first quarter, according to FEC reports filed last week, giving the party a few bright spots in what has otherwise been a bleak fundraising climate.In some cases, the members outraised include the NRCC’s top targets. Rep. Harry Teague (D-NM) raised $132K last quarter, while ex-Rep. Steve Pearce (R) pulled in $277K; Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH) raised $308K as her rival, state Sen. Steve Stivers (R), raised $367K.Teague and Kilroy both have cash on hand leads over their challengers ($927K for Teague, $708K for Pearce; $878K for Kilroy, $793K for Stivers). But those aren’t wide leads, lending to the perception that Teague and Kilory, both freshmen, will have some of the most difficult re-election races this fall.
And some Dems who don’t expect difficult races were surprised by their rivals’ hauls. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) raised only $40K last quarter and had just $223K in the bank. State Rep. Steven Palazzo (R) raised $125K. Police officer Ilario Pantano (R) raised $103K, besting Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) last quarter. Even though Taylor and McIntyre are still overwhelming favorites, GOPers will still crow that no Dem is safe. But beware of some over-inflated numbers: Several GOP candidates are using direct mail, a method that costs nearly as much money as it brings in. That leads to misleading numbers; for example, Iraq war vet Allen West (R), running against Rep. Ron Klein (D-FL), raised $838K last quarter, but he spent more than half — $423K. After the jump, some more GOP highlights from the first quarter. Ex-Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta (R), who raised $174K and loaned himself $100K, and defense contractor Rich Ashooh (R), who raised $213K. They both outraised Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D), a notoriously weak fundraiser, who pulled in $168K. State Sen. Andy Harris (R) raised $324K in the first quarter, more than Rep. Frank Kratovil’s (D-MD) $247K. Harris already has $703K in the bank. Ex-State Sen. Jonathan Paton (R) raised $505K in his first months in the race, narrowly edging Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ). Still, Giffords has $1.957M in the bank. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) saw 2 of his GOP opponents outraise him — but only because they wrote themselves big checks. Businessman Randy Altschuler (R) raised about $150K and gave himself an $860K loan, and consultant Chris Cox (R) raised $239K and gave himself a $500K loan. Bishop pulled in $326K and has $1.24M in the bank. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) went from guaranteed safe to possibly vulnerable when auto dealer Tom Ganley (R) left the Senate race to challenge the 2-term Dem. Ganley gave himself $2M, while Sutton raised just $135K last quarter and still has $280K in the bank. Later today: The 15 freshmen Dems who have more than $1M in the bank. |