Senate challengers raise campaign money

[cal04]

Democratic challengers in some of the closest Senate races tapped a fundraising vein in the last three months that exhibited momentum for their campaigns and supplied them with money to compete against better financed opponents.

Democrat Bob Casey in Pennsylvania reported raising $3.94 million in his campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record). The Santorum camp reported having $3.6 million in the bank at the end of September; Casey reported $3.7 million in hand.

In Virginia, Democrat Jim Webb reported raising $3.3 million from July to the end of September, with $2.73 million in the bank. Webb is challenging Republican Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record), once considered a potential presidential candidate in 2008. Allen reported raising $1.94 million in the last quarter, but still had $5.57 million in hand, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The numbers serve as one barometer of candidate strength. Incumbents typically have larger amounts of cash in hand because their fundraising machinery has been operating far longer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061016/ap_on_el_se/campaign_spending

[annabanana]

1. God Bless the "internets"

And their ability to move big money from many small pockets! It is an egalitarian world out here on the web...

[ps1074]

2. Numbers for the House are not good

They are opposite. Most of the republican incumbents there have big cash on hand advantage 3 weeks before the election.