Senate Fundraising Winners and Losers
Correction: this post previously misstated Berg's fundraising total. He raised $552,000.
2011 is in the rear-view mirror as the money chase grows clearer in several Senate races. The 4th quarter featured some breakout stars (Warren, Lingle) and busts (Mourdock, Shays). Without further ado, here is our list of 4th quarter Senate fundraising winners and losers:
Winners:
-- Elizabeth Warren: Warren had far and away the best fundraising quarter of any Senate candidate, including incumbents. The liberal superstar took in a whopping $5.7 million in the fourth quarter, ending the period with over $6 million on hand. Then, for good measure, she took in over a million more in a day with a "money bomb."
-- Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle: Lingle took in over $1.7 million, easily outpacing Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono, who had a $624,000 haul. And while Hirono has a real primary to contend with (against former Rep. Ed Case, who has yet to announce his fundraising numbers but has consistently raised less than Hirono), Lingle is free to stockpile her money for the general election.
-- Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona/Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp: These two Democratic candidates began running partway through the quarter in races where Republicans are favored, and both impressed. Carmona raised $570,000 since starting in November, not much less than his potential general election foe, Rep. Jeff Flake (who took in $607,000). And Heitkamp raised just under than $500,000, close to Republican Rep. Rick Berg's's full quarter haul of $552,000.
-- Democratic frontrunners in contested primaries: Frontrunning Democrats in contested primaries put additional distance between themselves and their opponents during the quarter -- see the full post on them here (it's bad news for underdogs like Hector Balderas and Don Bivens).
-- Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass.: Sure, Warren significantly outraised Brown last quarter. But Brown still showed he continues to have serious fundraising chops - he had the second biggest haul of any candidate, with a hefty $3.2 million brought in. That's no small sum and shouldn't be overlooked.
Losers:
Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock: Time is running out for Mourdock to turn the corner in the money chase. GOP Sen. Richard Lugar continues to raise money at a steady pace and has already been going up on the air. Mourdock has been following suit with his own ads, but the buys have been notably smaller. Mourdock raised only $386,000 and banked $362,000 as Lugar has $4 million in the bank. Mourdock also loaned himself six figures. A major reason why Mourdock hasn't received the backing from some prominent national conservative groups and figures is that he simply has not proven that he can raise money.
Former Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla.: It wasn't too long ago (just two quarters) that the former senator was raising $950,000. He brought in just $388,000 during the 4th quarter as GOP Rep. Connie Mack pulled in almost twice as much. LeMieux still sports a cash on hand lead over Mack, but with the exit of Adam Hasner from the Senate race, there is an opportunity for Mack to eat into some of the former state House majority leader's donor base.
Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.: Rehberg raised just $656,000 in the 4th quarter and ended the period with $2.1 million in the bank, spending more than half of what he brought in during the period. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, meanwhile, raised nearly $1.2 million and finished with $3.8 million in the bank, giving him a significant cash on hand lead.
Republicans point out that at this point in the 2006 cycle, Tester was in considerably worse financial shape than Rehberg is in now. But for a sitting member of Congress and one of national Republicans' top recruits this cycle, Rehberg's pace is disappointing.
The Missouri Republican Field: John Brunner has demonstrated an ability to self-fund to the tune of seven figures. But he burned through seven figures in one quarter as well. The money chase leader on the GOP side was Rep. Todd Akin, who brought in just $231,000; and that speaks volumes. Former Treasurer Sarah Steelman, meanwhile, had a five-figure 4th quarter.
Former Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn.: When you say your goal for the end of the year is to raise $1 million, and you only make it halfway there even with personal loan, it's a bad sign. When you are running in a primary against a candidate who spent $50 million last cycle, it's an even worse sign.
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