Jennifer Janasie, [Green Party gubernarorial nominee Rich Whitney’s] campaign manager, says Whitney has raised about $29,000 dollars since December, but points out the campaign is significantly ahead of the $16,866 Whitney reported for the same time period last time he ran for governor.
“We have a lot more people sending in donations this time,” Janasie says. “The numbers in no way suggest we can’t be competitive.”
[Green Party US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones’] campaign manager reports only about $1,500 in the bank. He blames, in part, people he says told Jones in private they’d support him, but have been unwilling to make it official.
* The FEC quarterly filing deadline always produces more spin than a ceiling fan in August. This week was no exception (and, considering the heat, the same goes for ceiling fans). From Republican congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger’s campaign…
The Kinzinger for Congress campaign announced Thursday that the campaign raised more than $325,000 in the last three months – $20,000-plus more than incumbent opponent Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson – and has more than $480,000 on hand to invest in communicating its message and reaching out to voters in every corner of the IL-11 Congressional District.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson has about $1 million more than Republican Adam Kinzinger in their race for Congress, the campaigns reported Thursday.
Halvorson, a first-term representative from Crete, reported having about $1.4 million in the bank, money she’ll be able to spend on television ads and other expenses in the coming months.
* From Democrat Dan Seals’ congressional campaign…
In another clear show of support from Illinois voters, Democratic Congressional Candidate Dan Seals today announced a consecutive strong fundraising quarter in the race for the open seat in Illinois’ 10th District.
In the second quarter FEC reporting period that closed on June 30, Seals received $556,156 in contributions. Seals will also report having $792,000 cash-on-hand.
What isn’t mentioned is that his opponent got his own “clear show of support” with an almost identical FEC report…
Wilmette Democrat Dan Seals and Kenilworth Republican Robert Dold are neck-and-neck in campaign fundraising in their nationally-watched race for an open north suburban congressional seat.
Both candidates report having nearly $800,000 in the bank to start July in what’s expected to be a costly contest by the time 10th Congressional District voters hit the polls Nov. 2. Seals and Dold are vying to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, who held the Democrat-leaning district for a decade. Kirk is now running for U.S. Senate.
Seals, who is making his third run for the seat, raised more than $550,000 from April through June, spokeswoman Aviva Gibbs said this afternoon. Dold collected about $560,000 for the same time spokeswoman Kelly Klopp said.
An NRCC press release was entitled: “Dold Outraises Seals In Obama’s Backyard.” Is the 10th CD really Obama’s back yard?
* On the other hand, Republican congressional candidate Randy Hultgren kinda/sorta admitted that his quarterly report wasn’t up to snuff…
The Hultgren for Congress campaign announced today that it raised $309,080.00 in the quarter ending June 30 and has $244,669.00 cash on hand.
“I am pleased with the strong support I continue to receive from throughout the 14th Congressional District,” said State Senator Randy Hultgren.
“I realize that we have a long way to go to match the hundreds of thousands of dollars that special interest groups have poured in to my opponent’s campaign,” said Hultgren. “Therefore, I am pleased to announce the addition of Lisa Wagner, of Lisa Wagner and Company, an expert in fundraising with a long track record of success, to my finance team.”
In the 8th CD where an underdog favorite pulled out a surprise GOP primary upset for businessman Joe Walsh, Walsh’s not been able to raise more funds than he’s spent in the second quarter, FEC filings show today.
Walsh, who raised a little over $100,000 in the second quarter, spent $114,000, leaving him with $30,292 on hand. With $88,000 in outstanding debts, the campaign committee as of this week’s reports, stands nearly $50,000 in the red, not boding well — at this point — for Walsh to run a viable campaign against Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean.
* In related news, sometimes, it’s best just to let your opponent twist in the wind.
Yesterday, Alexi Giannoulias held a press conference to slam Mark Kirk for taking corporate PAC and federal lobbyist money, but had to answer embarrassing questions about how his fundraising totals were so pathetic. As we’ve already discussed, Giannoulias raised just $900,000 raised and had $1 million cash on hand, leaving Kirk with an almost four-to-one cash advantage.
One of the stories about the Giannoulias presser included this section…
The Kirk campaign countered that Giannoulias does accept money from state lobbyists. Giannoulias, while not denying the claim, said he has barred lobbyists who solicit the Treasurer’s office from donating to his Senate campaign.
Kirk’s campaign had apparently salted the question before the presser, so it pounced via press release just minutes later…
Fact Check: Giannoulias Lobbyist Contributions
Misleading Claim: Alexi Giannoulias told reporters today he does not accept campaign contributions from state lobbyists registered to lobby the Treasurer’s Office.
Get the Facts: As of March 31, 2010, Alexi for Illinois accepted $87,626.35 from registered Illinois State lobbyists – including $28,326.35 from lobbyists registered with entities that lobby the Treasurer’s office in the same year as their contribution. (Sources: Federal Election Commission; State of Illinois Lobbying Information Search) The total as of June 30th is not yet available. Lobbyists registered with entities that lobby the Treasurer’s office who contributed to Alexi for Illinois include:
Trouble is, Giannoulias never actually said that he didn’t take state lobster cash. Video…
Female reporter: You don’t take federal money, but the Kirk folks are saying that you do take state lobbying money. Have you said ‘No’ to any kind of lobbyists who lobby for the state and especially to your treasurer’s office?
Giannoulias: And again, I understand the congressman is trying to put up smokescreens and trying to change the subject from the fact that he’s raised millions of dollars from federal lobbyists. The truth of the matter is my first day in office I ended pay-to-play in the state treasurer’s office. We don’t take money from anyone who does business with the state treasurer’s office. We don’t take money from banks. And if individuals want to donate, that’s fine. We have a complete firewall between myself and federal lobbyists.
Female reporter: What about state lobbyists? Other state lobbyists, maybe they don’t lobby your particular office, but state lobbyists. Is there a ban on those?
Giannoulias: Well, they don’t – and again, this is about the decision with regard to the U.S. Senate race, and with regards to the United States Senate. And they have no impact on that legislation.
This is basically the same policy that Barack Obama had in his presidential campaign. No federal lobster money, but he will gladly take state lobbyist donations. As I already pointed out to subscribers this week, Giannoulias is no Barack Obama. Copying Obama’s policy has cost him dearly.
Anyway, the Giannoulias campaign responded to the Kirk press release…
In a continued effort to desperately distract from Congressman Kirk’s problems with the truth, the Kirk campaign…stretched the truth. Ironic and not all together surprising, considering the source.
Like I said, sometimes it’s best just to let well enough alone.
We’re a long way from November, but I can’t help speculate that the Green Party may do better than usual, regardless of how much money is in the war chest. There are a lot of people who are dissatisfied with candidates from either party and not pleased with the general political climate in Illinois. There may be quite a bit of protest voting.
I’ve decided a special election has taken some importance, because if the Dems get massacred in the fall elections where they lose the US House and several seats in the Senate they plan to have the busiest lame duck session ever during December and January to ram through as much of Obama’s unpopular agenda as they can. If election day is deemed a special election for the Obama/Burris seat - Mark Kirk takes office immeadidately, he becomes a crucial 42nd Republican in the Senate to help sustain a filibuster - if he doesn’t revert to his RINO ways and cave to the Dems.
Obviously Halvorson has considerably more cash on hand. But I think the quarterly reports in that district show that Kinzinger has the momentum. That is a good district for repubs, particularly this year and the last polling released in that district shows Kinzinger ahead. So she will need every dime she has to try to fight him off.
“I’ve decided a special election has taken some importance, because if the Dems get massacred in the fall elections where they lose the US House and several seats in the Senate they plan to have the busiest lame duck session ever…”
Yup, this little tidbit often gets lost on the soup. One other minor advantage to whomever fills the seat is that they will have a couple of months of extra seniority in the Senate. Not only increased perks, but also puts the officeholder higher up the food chain for committee assignments, etc. over other freshmen senators.
I guess it would be weird if the Greens had raised a lot of money. Still, you’d like to see more of an effort. The web and emails can be a cheap, powerful tool for multiple, small contributions.
They should at least advertise with banners on newspaper and political sites. Do they have a free media effort? I don’t see them up north.
I really like abdon pallasch a lot and not just because I’ve never met someone named abdon, but he buried alexi’s fundraising numbers at the bottom of his story and instead focused on whether alexi would testify or not at the blago trial. This press conference was probably planned for more than a month since alexi’s numbers before these recent fundraisers with biden ect were probably much much worse and these “attacks on corporate $” yesterday were a naked attempt to change the story away from his campaign’s money problems.
He reminds me a lot of seals in 2006, thinking the favorable political nature of the state/district, his inexperience with national politics, and obama would enable him to run over kirk.
So ComandoMakeItUp blows it again
Whether the topic is military, book learnin’,
marriage or campaign cash the Commando can’t seem to nudge the real story out — ever
What about plagarism? Is the Commando guilty of the same stuff as the CO GOP candidate?
If Kirk becomes a crucial 42nd Republican in the Senate to help sustain a filibuster, Who take his place in the House? What if Seals wins election? Appoint Dold?
- give me liberty - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:17 am:
Stick a fork in Little Debbie, she’s done. She lucked into the seat to begin with, given the Dem tidal wave and the weak candidate the GOP put up. Adam will win fairly easily and he’ll be in Congress for a long time.
Alexi’s line in his press conference that people that work for corporations are not hard working people is insulting and should be replayed over and over. The janitor that cleans toilets at a school is worthy of having their voice heard, but not the janitor that cleans toilets at AON or allstate?
“Let’s take it easy on the stupid nicknames, please. It’s beneath us.”
Rich, as much as you know I love you…I gotta ask….are you frickin kidding me??? When did you come up with that rule…before or after your post titled “Commander Mcbragg”? Dude, lead by example.
The fundraising numbers for the House seats all tell a different story about the next four months-
1) Dold and Seals are in a battle and it is close;
2) Halvorson should be very worried- it’s a bad year for a Dem and she got outraised by a challenger who does not hold any office to raise from. That cash advantage will only shrink over the next few months.
3) Hultgren is in trouble on most fronts- down 5 to 1 in money and no visibility. The best he could do is announce a new fundraiser?
Force AG to explain the difference between state and federal lobbyists. The public doesn’t understand the distinction and all they see is semantics and Chicago politics as usual.
Because AG has to explain it, it’s harder to use as a talking/attack point and becomes ineffective. Plus it further muddies AG’s message.
Can you read? She has a million dollars more on hand than her opponent.
$1,000,000.
Is the 11th seat going to be a fight? Absolutely. Can Kinzinger win? Of course. But the partisan hackery that leads folks to be so dismissive of a candidate who has a million dollar COH advantage is laughable.
- give me liberty - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:20 am:
Have you ever heard Halverson speak? Do you know her background prior to becoming part of the Dem machine? Yes, I’m proud that my representative in Congress is a decorated veteran of many difficult Mary Kay cosmetic campaigns.
She’ll need all the cash she can get in order to beat Kinzinger, who has a fine record of service to his community and our nation to run on. I just hope there are debates, they will be great fun to watch.
Yeah, I’m not new here. I’ve heard her speak, what about it?
Do you think belittling the fact that she sold cosmetics to raise her kids is a winning message in an economy when people are doing what they can to get by?
I am sure there will be debates. And they may or may not be great fun for the dozens of people who see them out of the 200,000 people who will vote in the election.
Would that the Kinzinger campaign adopted your philosophy of “let her outspend us, our guy will win because we think he’s better.”
I hate lobbyists because they represent citizens, workers and businesses that have an interest in government and then they have the audacity to try to influence that decision - the nerve!
gml, FillB is right. The Mary Kay thing has been golden for Halvorson in the past. I wouldn’t belittle it if I were you. She’s also survived some pretty tough races and won her first Senate race against a very well-known and formerly beloved incumbent. I wouldn’t underestimate her, either, even in these times.
Debbie isn’t that great on her feet but she is a very nice person and that has helped her from the day she beat Aldo to the present. It helped her avoid the taint of being Blago and Emil’s point person on a lot of controversial bills. And it helped her win a district that she is far too liberal for.
Her problem this time is that for the first time she is facing a tough opponent in a tough year. If Republicans really do take back Congress, it will mean that Adam won. That is the kind of district and the kind of match-up they have to win to make it happen.
The interesting dynamic of the Kinzinger-Halvorson race is that Debbie has a huge cash advantage but Adam is a part of the House Republican’s “Young Guns” group that receives plenty of in-kind and cash transfer donations. If Bobby Schilling can keep up, we’ll have 4 very competitive Congressional elections in Illinois.
She’s Debbie! - Anka, enhanced by her friend VanillaMan
Well she’s a political savant
Will County Dems want to flaunt, and make a winner!
Well she always knows her place
She’s got cash, a voter base, not a beginner.
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
Writin’ about her in this medley, I’ll opine!
Well she’s a Nanny with a Heart
A pure liberal from the start, with sincere reflexes.
She’s a typical Democrat,
Likes government big and fat, and raising taxes!
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
Bloom High’s little Lady, please let me opine!
Well politically she’s a bit too much, too left for most voters
But she’ll treat you with respect, and pretend to listen.
What she’s spent in DC, will cost each one of us a Trillion.
Pelosi and Debbie promise we won’t have to pay. Oh!, Hey!, Hey!
Well she knows what I’m about,
She knows I like to shout, and write these verses.
Well she knows me enough to know,
Don’t need her hands on our dough, as our economy submerses.
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
A Congressional Newbie! Can’t afford her this time!
Yeah yeah yeah, She’s Debbie!
Listen to me Debbie, She’s Debbie!
Whoa whoa whoa, She’s Debbie!
Listen Debbie, What is mine – is mine!
=Force AG to explain the difference between state and federal lobbyists. =
Donning my Jane Q. Public persona, that’s why the sentence explaining that he doesn’t take money from anyone who does work with the state treasurer’s office jumped out.
Hi Rich, Couple of small points re the note on Alexi - Mark campaign $$ in the fax today:
a) Your note re the unsourced news reports that the WH wanted AG to resign his ticket spot is between you and those journalists, right?
b) I believe Alexi’s fundraising uptick began with the POTUS Quincy visit, at which RahmDavid put him on the platform, quashing speculation and unsourced news reports re WH support for AG. With WH political support again expressed, donors resumed giving. They did not wait for the Kirk resume issue, which I believe cropped up several weeks later in the quarter.
c) I appeal for fuller references to history. All may note that as a matter of both history and accounting (not politics) that BHO’s defining 2008 campaign finance step was his decision not to accept public funding and the restrictions appertaining thereto.
If this is at all true, then the bottom sentences become, “Barack Obama successfully foreswore his pledge to restrict himself to public financing of his presidential race, and went on to create new history of grass roots financial support for a national candidacy, but he was Barack Obama. Alexi Giannoulias is now learning he lacks Obama’s fundraising appeal…”
I also point this out because Obama received considerable financial support from pacs and/or employees of BP, Goldman Sachs, hedge funds, law firms, placement agents, investment bankers, commercial bankers, merchant bankers, George Soros, trial lawyers, corporate lawers, MBS lawyers, etc, etc, etc.
Iow, I am not sure to which Obama 08 campaign press release you are pointing, but I think it is beyond doubt that our very own Barack Obama was no Mother Theresa when it came to corporate campaign cash.
a number of those young guns guys didn’t win their primaries and if you look at the washington post list, the majority of them face at best 500k fundraising deficits and are running against members of congress that like halvorson were state legislators before. As dan seals will tell you, just because the enviornment is good doesn’t mean the candidate will win.
they get fundraising support, but how much is unclear. Making the list does not guarantee that the nrcc will be coming in for the candidate.
Of course those numbers suggest that Whitney will not be competitive, but what do expect his campaign to say?
Most of the Greens I have talked to seem to be pinning their hopes on the idea that Whitney will get into the debated with Brady and Quinn, completely outclass them and then the voters will flock to him. Never mind that even if he did get into the debate and outclassed them a pretty big portion of the elector does not even pay attention to the debate and Brady and Quinn would have the resources to attack him TV and radio ads and he lacks the resources to effectively respond.
Whether the Greens like it or not the money game is a big part of getting elected and less they find away to be competitive in it, ie not raise around 3.57 million less than the front runner, they are not going to win.
I have a treasure chest full of songs to drop into any of Rich’s stuff.
I have a huge back catalog just waiting for Blagojevich’s verdict.
I have campaign songs waiting to go when the time is right.
I have stuff that has never been posted.
You think I just come up with this stuff first time through? No way Dude!
Some folks quilt after kids go to bed, I drink, laugh and create songs. I’ve been doing this for years since I was a kid. I did an entire Junior High musical when I was 11, based on the musical score of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. I got into big trouble with the principal and a couple of teachers at the time.
You worry too much about folks dropping lines during their working day. Thanks to us working folks, this Blog gets real information from real people directly from the trenches. If you wanted a bunch of sharp retirees dishing over the cracker barrel at the corner McDonalds, so do I, that is why I like reading your stuff.
VMan, the state is broke, and you mock that fact all day long, every day, by screwing around with stupid Weird Al songs while collecting a paycheck on the taxpayer’s dime.
- Aldyth - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:39 am:
We’re a long way from November, but I can’t help speculate that the Green Party may do better than usual, regardless of how much money is in the war chest. There are a lot of people who are dissatisfied with candidates from either party and not pleased with the general political climate in Illinois. There may be quite a bit of protest voting.
- Segatari - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:49 am:
* No need for special election
I’ve decided a special election has taken some importance, because if the Dems get massacred in the fall elections where they lose the US House and several seats in the Senate they plan to have the busiest lame duck session ever during December and January to ram through as much of Obama’s unpopular agenda as they can. If election day is deemed a special election for the Obama/Burris seat - Mark Kirk takes office immeadidately, he becomes a crucial 42nd Republican in the Senate to help sustain a filibuster - if he doesn’t revert to his RINO ways and cave to the Dems.
- Segatari - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:50 am:
++assuming Kirk wins…
- Jeff Wartman - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:51 am:
Halvorson had that money before Kinzinger was even in the race.
That’s not spin, Rich; it’s the truth.
- raising kane - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:54 am:
Obviously Halvorson has considerably more cash on hand. But I think the quarterly reports in that district show that Kinzinger has the momentum. That is a good district for repubs, particularly this year and the last polling released in that district shows Kinzinger ahead. So she will need every dime she has to try to fight him off.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:54 am:
Jeff, Halvorson’s money is a fact of life. Deal with it.
- just sayin' - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:54 am:
“The FEC quarterly filing deadline always produces more spin than a ceiling fan in August.”
Rich, is this borrowed from the novel you’re writing? lol
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:59 am:
- Segatari - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:49 am:
“I’ve decided a special election has taken some importance, because if the Dems get massacred in the fall elections where they lose the US House and several seats in the Senate they plan to have the busiest lame duck session ever…”
Yup, this little tidbit often gets lost on the soup. One other minor advantage to whomever fills the seat is that they will have a couple of months of extra seniority in the Senate. Not only increased perks, but also puts the officeholder higher up the food chain for committee assignments, etc. over other freshmen senators.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:02 am:
I guess it would be weird if the Greens had raised a lot of money. Still, you’d like to see more of an effort. The web and emails can be a cheap, powerful tool for multiple, small contributions.
They should at least advertise with banners on newspaper and political sites. Do they have a free media effort? I don’t see them up north.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:03 am:
“The numbers in no way suggest we can’t be competitive.”
That is because she is reading it wrong. If you turn those figures upside down and read them backwards, they spell out, “S.O.L. Buddy!”
- shore - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:04 am:
I really like abdon pallasch a lot and not just because I’ve never met someone named abdon, but he buried alexi’s fundraising numbers at the bottom of his story and instead focused on whether alexi would testify or not at the blago trial. This press conference was probably planned for more than a month since alexi’s numbers before these recent fundraisers with biden ect were probably much much worse and these “attacks on corporate $” yesterday were a naked attempt to change the story away from his campaign’s money problems.
He reminds me a lot of seals in 2006, thinking the favorable political nature of the state/district, his inexperience with national politics, and obama would enable him to run over kirk.
Not happening.
- CircularFiringSquad - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:10 am:
So ComandoMakeItUp blows it again
Whether the topic is military, book learnin’,
marriage or campaign cash the Commando can’t seem to nudge the real story out — ever
What about plagarism? Is the Commando guilty of the same stuff as the CO GOP candidate?
- Down South - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:13 am:
If Kirk becomes a crucial 42nd Republican in the Senate to help sustain a filibuster, Who take his place in the House? What if Seals wins election? Appoint Dold?
- give me liberty - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:17 am:
Stick a fork in Little Debbie, she’s done. She lucked into the seat to begin with, given the Dem tidal wave and the weak candidate the GOP put up. Adam will win fairly easily and he’ll be in Congress for a long time.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:22 am:
Let’s take it easy on the stupid nicknames, please. It’s beneath us.
- shore - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:23 am:
Alexi’s line in his press conference that people that work for corporations are not hard working people is insulting and should be replayed over and over. The janitor that cleans toilets at a school is worthy of having their voice heard, but not the janitor that cleans toilets at AON or allstate?
too much hair gel.
- raising kane - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:28 am:
“Let’s take it easy on the stupid nicknames, please. It’s beneath us.”
Rich, as much as you know I love you…I gotta ask….are you frickin kidding me??? When did you come up with that rule…before or after your post titled “Commander Mcbragg”? Dude, lead by example.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:30 am:
LOL. Good point.
- rich's ceiling fan fan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:31 am:
@givemeliberty:
pls, no more rally talk. “my guy rules, yur guy sux !”
less declaration, more information.
- ugo - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:42 am:
The fundraising numbers for the House seats all tell a different story about the next four months-
1) Dold and Seals are in a battle and it is close;
2) Halvorson should be very worried- it’s a bad year for a Dem and she got outraised by a challenger who does not hold any office to raise from. That cash advantage will only shrink over the next few months.
3) Hultgren is in trouble on most fronts- down 5 to 1 in money and no visibility. The best he could do is announce a new fundraiser?
- chuddery - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 10:55 am:
What’s even more disconcerting is Seals’ burn rate. Dude went through 220k in the last 3 months for no apparent reason.
The primary had been over for 2 months, and they certainly weren’t on TV. That’s a crazy amount of money they went through.
- A.B. - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:03 am:
Probably a smart play by Team Kirk.
Force AG to explain the difference between state and federal lobbyists. The public doesn’t understand the distinction and all they see is semantics and Chicago politics as usual.
Because AG has to explain it, it’s harder to use as a talking/attack point and becomes ineffective. Plus it further muddies AG’s message.
- FillB - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:14 am:
“Stick a fork in Little Debbie, she’s done.”
Can you read? She has a million dollars more on hand than her opponent.
$1,000,000.
Is the 11th seat going to be a fight? Absolutely. Can Kinzinger win? Of course. But the partisan hackery that leads folks to be so dismissive of a candidate who has a million dollar COH advantage is laughable.
- give me liberty - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:20 am:
Have you ever heard Halverson speak? Do you know her background prior to becoming part of the Dem machine? Yes, I’m proud that my representative in Congress is a decorated veteran of many difficult Mary Kay cosmetic campaigns.
She’ll need all the cash she can get in order to beat Kinzinger, who has a fine record of service to his community and our nation to run on. I just hope there are debates, they will be great fun to watch.
- PFK - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:36 am:
I’ve know of the perfect soundtrack to play in the background while reading articles on these candidates’ fundraising numbers:
http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/blago/documents.html
- FillB - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:37 am:
Yeah, I’m not new here. I’ve heard her speak, what about it?
Do you think belittling the fact that she sold cosmetics to raise her kids is a winning message in an economy when people are doing what they can to get by?
I am sure there will be debates. And they may or may not be great fun for the dozens of people who see them out of the 200,000 people who will vote in the election.
Would that the Kinzinger campaign adopted your philosophy of “let her outspend us, our guy will win because we think he’s better.”
- Obama's Puppy - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:39 am:
I hate lobbyists because they represent citizens, workers and businesses that have an interest in government and then they have the audacity to try to influence that decision - the nerve!
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:39 am:
gml, FillB is right. The Mary Kay thing has been golden for Halvorson in the past. I wouldn’t belittle it if I were you. She’s also survived some pretty tough races and won her first Senate race against a very well-known and formerly beloved incumbent. I wouldn’t underestimate her, either, even in these times.
- raising kane - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:43 am:
Debbie isn’t that great on her feet but she is a very nice person and that has helped her from the day she beat Aldo to the present. It helped her avoid the taint of being Blago and Emil’s point person on a lot of controversial bills. And it helped her win a district that she is far too liberal for.
Her problem this time is that for the first time she is facing a tough opponent in a tough year. If Republicans really do take back Congress, it will mean that Adam won. That is the kind of district and the kind of match-up they have to win to make it happen.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:54 am:
The interesting dynamic of the Kinzinger-Halvorson race is that Debbie has a huge cash advantage but Adam is a part of the House Republican’s “Young Guns” group that receives plenty of in-kind and cash transfer donations. If Bobby Schilling can keep up, we’ll have 4 very competitive Congressional elections in Illinois.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 11:59 am:
She’s Debbie! - Anka, enhanced by her friend VanillaMan
Well she’s a political savant
Will County Dems want to flaunt, and make a winner!
Well she always knows her place
She’s got cash, a voter base, not a beginner.
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
Writin’ about her in this medley, I’ll opine!
Well she’s a Nanny with a Heart
A pure liberal from the start, with sincere reflexes.
She’s a typical Democrat,
Likes government big and fat, and raising taxes!
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
Bloom High’s little Lady, please let me opine!
Well politically she’s a bit too much, too left for most voters
But she’ll treat you with respect, and pretend to listen.
What she’s spent in DC, will cost each one of us a Trillion.
Pelosi and Debbie promise we won’t have to pay. Oh!, Hey!, Hey!
Well she knows what I’m about,
She knows I like to shout, and write these verses.
Well she knows me enough to know,
Don’t need her hands on our dough, as our economy submerses.
She’s Debbie! Whoa whoa whoa, she’s Debbie!
A Congressional Newbie! Can’t afford her this time!
Yeah yeah yeah, She’s Debbie!
Listen to me Debbie, She’s Debbie!
Whoa whoa whoa, She’s Debbie!
Listen Debbie, What is mine – is mine!
Yeah yeah yeah, She’s Debbie!
Talkin’ about our Congressional Lady!
Whoa whoa whoa whoa
Blago’s doin’ time!
Yeah yeah, She’s Debbie!
And Emil says he is fine.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:00 pm:
=Force AG to explain the difference between state and federal lobbyists. =
Donning my Jane Q. Public persona, that’s why the sentence explaining that he doesn’t take money from anyone who does work with the state treasurer’s office jumped out.
- Chris Robling - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:14 pm:
Hi Rich, Couple of small points re the note on Alexi - Mark campaign $$ in the fax today:
a) Your note re the unsourced news reports that the WH wanted AG to resign his ticket spot is between you and those journalists, right?
b) I believe Alexi’s fundraising uptick began with the POTUS Quincy visit, at which RahmDavid put him on the platform, quashing speculation and unsourced news reports re WH support for AG. With WH political support again expressed, donors resumed giving. They did not wait for the Kirk resume issue, which I believe cropped up several weeks later in the quarter.
c) I appeal for fuller references to history. All may note that as a matter of both history and accounting (not politics) that BHO’s defining 2008 campaign finance step was his decision not to accept public funding and the restrictions appertaining thereto.
If this is at all true, then the bottom sentences become, “Barack Obama successfully foreswore his pledge to restrict himself to public financing of his presidential race, and went on to create new history of grass roots financial support for a national candidacy, but he was Barack Obama. Alexi Giannoulias is now learning he lacks Obama’s fundraising appeal…”
I also point this out because Obama received considerable financial support from pacs and/or employees of BP, Goldman Sachs, hedge funds, law firms, placement agents, investment bankers, commercial bankers, merchant bankers, George Soros, trial lawyers, corporate lawers, MBS lawyers, etc, etc, etc.
Iow, I am not sure to which Obama 08 campaign press release you are pointing, but I think it is beyond doubt that our very own Barack Obama was no Mother Theresa when it came to corporate campaign cash.
Or am I wrong about that?
Thanks as always and have a great weekend,
c
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:16 pm:
===Your note re the unsourced news reports that the WH wanted AG to resign his ticket spot is between you and those journalists, right?===
No. It’s because not a single source was ever referenced. Read more closely.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:17 pm:
===received considerable financial support from pacs and/or employees of===
It’s just one. The employees.
Also, that was yesterday’s. Not today’s. Your reading skills are deteriorating. lol
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:17 pm:
Any word on fundraising numbers for Foster or Bean?
I suppose Bean’s fundraising numbers are irrelevant at this point given Walsh’s record and fundraising…still curious though.
- Brennan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 12:41 pm:
If federal lobbyists are hosting fundraisers for Giannoulias, isn’t he walking the tight rope on this “no contributions from federal lobbyists” claim?
=I believe Alexi’s fundraising uptick began with the POTUS Quincy visit, at which RahmDavid put him on the platform=
Did they? They look like they increased when Giannoulias donors could get close access to Jim Messina, Arne Duncan, David Plouffe and Joe Biden.
- shore - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 1:06 pm:
a number of those young guns guys didn’t win their primaries and if you look at the washington post list, the majority of them face at best 500k fundraising deficits and are running against members of congress that like halvorson were state legislators before. As dan seals will tell you, just because the enviornment is good doesn’t mean the candidate will win.
they get fundraising support, but how much is unclear. Making the list does not guarantee that the nrcc will be coming in for the candidate.
- RMW Stanford - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 2:03 pm:
Of course those numbers suggest that Whitney will not be competitive, but what do expect his campaign to say?
Most of the Greens I have talked to seem to be pinning their hopes on the idea that Whitney will get into the debated with Brady and Quinn, completely outclass them and then the voters will flock to him. Never mind that even if he did get into the debate and outclassed them a pretty big portion of the elector does not even pay attention to the debate and Brady and Quinn would have the resources to attack him TV and radio ads and he lacks the resources to effectively respond.
Whether the Greens like it or not the money game is a big part of getting elected and less they find away to be competitive in it, ie not raise around 3.57 million less than the front runner, they are not going to win.
- A.B. - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 2:30 pm:
@ Anon
Bean is destroying Walsh. She has enough money to beat him in the cushions of her couch.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 3:21 pm:
VMaN,awesome song.
You have to let all your fans know == how much do the SOI taxpayers pay you everyday for what you do? Only fair.
Your fans, they know, you have a do-nothing taxpayer funded job, right?
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 3:53 pm:
You have no idea.
I have a treasure chest full of songs to drop into any of Rich’s stuff.
I have a huge back catalog just waiting for Blagojevich’s verdict.
I have campaign songs waiting to go when the time is right.
I have stuff that has never been posted.
You think I just come up with this stuff first time through? No way Dude!
Some folks quilt after kids go to bed, I drink, laugh and create songs. I’ve been doing this for years since I was a kid. I did an entire Junior High musical when I was 11, based on the musical score of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. I got into big trouble with the principal and a couple of teachers at the time.
You worry too much about folks dropping lines during their working day. Thanks to us working folks, this Blog gets real information from real people directly from the trenches. If you wanted a bunch of sharp retirees dishing over the cracker barrel at the corner McDonalds, so do I, that is why I like reading your stuff.
Keep up the good work!
- FillB - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 3:55 pm:
“I did an entire Junior High musical when I was 11, based on the musical score of “Jesus Christ Superstar”.”
Isn’t “Jesus Christ Superstar” already a musical?
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 3:59 pm:
I had to “enhance” it with school teacher names, class information and references.
No fellow students though, didn’t want to get beaten up.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 4:25 pm:
VMan, the state is broke, and you mock that fact all day long, every day, by screwing around with stupid Weird Al songs while collecting a paycheck on the taxpayer’s dime.
Dude, where’s you honor?
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 4:45 pm:
Now you are sounding like Antonio Salieri to my Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Let us have our fun, and we’ll stay off your lawn.