Allen still winning the money primary
By Norman Leahy | Monday, October 10th, 2011 | Politics, VirginiaThe early 3rd quarter fundraising numbers are rolling in from the GOP Senate candidates and the ones with the most to crow about are keen to make sure people know just how well the money primary is going.
George Allen’s campaign has “rais[ed] over $900,000 in the last three months. To date, the Allen Campaign has raised $3.5 million and has $1.8 million cash-on-hand to start October.”
Tim Donner’s campaign tells us that it “banked $133,241 and begins the current quarter with a total of $156,000 cash on hand.” Overall, the Donner camp has raised “more than $339,000 in just the two quarters his campaign has been underway.”
Jamie Radtke’s campaign exclaims that is has “achieved its best performance yet in the third-quarter fundraising period, collecting more than $116,000 in donations, bringing the total raised so far to more than $370,000.”
Take all these numbers for what you will. Some will say that Allen’s haul, which dwarfs that of the others, makes this race a done deal. Partisans of Mr. Donner will counter that he’s steadily gaining steam and positioning himself as the legitimate Allen alternative, rather than Radtke. Radtke’s champions will point to the 1700 donors to her effort as proof that she’s building what matters most — an army.
I’m of the camp that believes money primaries matter very little in the end. All that matters is who shows up to vote on primary day. But even before that, as Brian Kirwin continues to remind us, all of these figures mean nothing until the candidates actually get the signatures they need to appear on that primary ballot.
That is the real test of organizational skill.
It will still be interesting to review the complete campaign finance statements at the end of the week to see where all this money is going…and whether there are any lingering debt problems on certain balance sheets.
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About the author
Norm Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics online since 2002, beginning with One Man's Trash (OMT), and continuing through Bacon's Rebellion (both the blog and the e-zine), Sic Semper Tyrannis, NBC12's Decision Virginia, Richmond.com and Tertium Quids. He is the chief blogger at "The Score" and a producer of "The Score" radio show as well as being a Washington Examiner contributor.
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13 Responses to "Allen still winning the money primary"
Jamie Radtke is steadily building an “army” as you put it. It also reflects on the BD poll that she soundly won.
As a supporter of Radtke, however, it isn’t just the the numbers of people I would tout, but also the fact that in just one quarter she surpassed her best past effort and is moving forward. This without being individually wealthy enough to self finance and without a past machine to rely on.
So, for all the people so deeply concerned about the cost of the bus and her campaign debt. Read it and understand, she is getting the job done. You don’t need to feign worry or offer fake advice. The fact that Allen hasn’t done better is indicative of his problems.
For Jamie Radtke to raise $116,000 this quarter by itself should worry Allen. The other fact that the average of contributions signals a grassroots level of support, should scare any Allen supporter. This is a big plus for the Radtke campaign.
Britt,
A few points. First, Michele Bachmann “soundly” won the Iowa Straw Ballot, if you consider a near-tie with Ron Paul a win. Nevertheless, where are either one of them in the Republican nomination race today? Second, one of the urban myths of the Obama 08 campaign was that he raised a record amount of money in small donations, an assertion that was later debunked when FEC data showed that Obama raised just as much campaign money from major donors as did McCain. Is Radtke playing the same PR game while under-raising Allen by a margin of almost 10-1? Probably. Finally, Allen’s “past machine” that he relies on is simply code for past political experience. Remind us again of Jamie’s previous elected experience that so highly qualifies her for one of the most powerful elected positions in the republic?
Once again, why does the Tea Party insist on entering novice candidates for office at the very top? Why is Jamie Radtke more qualified for the US Senate than Joe Miller, Sharon Angle, and Christine O’Donnell? Are the Tea Partiers just Libertarian-Republicans who would rather lose on principle and leave the Senate in control of the liberals or are you willing to back the most electable candidate? I think that we know the answer to that question and Harry Reid thanks you from the bottom of his heart.
HisRoc says “Once again, why does the Tea Party insist on entering novice candidates for office at the very top?”
Because they share the Repub and conservative obsession with the Federal government odd as that sounds. The Dems understand that dominance at the state and local level is a powerful bulwark against the Feds when they are out of power and a great force multiplier when in. The same way with the bureaucracy. There is no public position too obscure or menial to deter the leftists from fighting for it. A lesson lost on the Repubs and many in the Tea Party movement apparently
Valentinus nails it.
What makes this election different though is that many Tea Party people see the Allen candidacy as an afront to liberty and economic prosperity.
Turbo
While I understand the feeling that Allen perhaps like Romney is far from the best person given the current circumstances it is also true that neither will buck the majority. If the majority is conservative they’ll be there. If not then they’ll flirt with whoever is. So just ensure that they are surrounded by the right. They are not ideologues like Obama.
HisRoc, why did you even bother putting that up? You know better, but you’re towing the line?
1. “A few points. First, Michele Bachmann “soundly” won the Iowa Straw Ballot, if you consider a near-tie with Ron Paul a win.” -HisRoc
A “near tie”? Um…. do you consider 476 votes for Jamie Radtke and a distant 249 for George Allen a “near tie”? I sure as heck don’t! Especially on Bearingdrift that is so friendly to George Allen.
2. “Second, one of the urban myths of the Obama 08 campaign was that he raised a record amount of money in small donations, an assertion that was later debunked when FEC data showed that Obama raised just as much campaign money from major donors as did McCain.” – HisRoc
DO THE MATH! $370,000 total raised to date. $116,000 this quarter alone. A) An obvious uptick in contributions B) The campaign listed the numbers of donors to “more than 1,700 individuals”. $370,000/1700=
an average contribution of $217.64 Yes there were some high dollar contributions at the max level, but the numbers speak for themselves, there were a lot on the lower end of the spectrum that is more easily afforded by your average family.
3. “Finally, Allen’s “past machine” that he relies on is simply code for past political experience.” -HisRoc
No! That is plain English for “past machine”. The system of support he built to garner support and raise money. It also means whatever quid pro quos for betraying Virginians and Americans with ethanol subsidies, earmarks, assault weapon bans, and letting Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae wreck our economy after he was warned by Sen. Hagel (R) and asked him to help regulate it. George did NOTHING!
4. Are the Tea Partiers just Libertarian-Republicans who would rather lose on principle and leave the Senate in control of the liberals or are you willing to back the most electable candidate? – HisRoc
Jamie Radtke is a social conservative as well as a fiscal one. She has multiple degrees that lend themselves to government as well as substantial public, private, charitable organization, and political experience. She is no “novice”. You can only say she hasn’t held office before. She is on youtube, I have seen her speak multiple times, and spoke with her personally on a several occasions. SHE KNOWS HER STUFF! Put your boy George Allen up against her in a debate. It doesn’t even have to be in the media to give her a boost (which it would). I would be happy with a private debate, because she would just rip Allen apart. When the truth is on your side and your opponent has a record to run from, it is just that much easier. The fact that he gaffes so much, makes that more likely he’d embarrass himself.
George Allen is the most UNelectable. Kaine will destroy him with his record and hypocrisy. He will paint him a racist, label him a hypocrite on fiscal issues, and blame him for the credit/real estate bubbles since he could have done something about it. Further, good luck exciting the voters to back somebody they fired a few years back!
Britt,
The expression is “toeing the line.” And the rest of your response is just as erroneous. BTW, I had no idea that being on YouTube qualified you for the US Senate. My humble apologies.
HisRoc.. it’s nice to see you could not refute any of Britt’s statements. It is not the fault of the tea party that Allen is a liberal. They didn’t make him that way. They simply want to see a non-liberal (aka not a neo-con) in office. Our country can do better. Virginia deserves better.
It is laughable that you would mock Radtke for not having what it takes.
When Allen stands up and anyone with common sense asks the question “Is this really the best we could do.. out of anyone in Virginia.. this guy is really the best that we could muster?” Radtke starts looking very appealing. In fact almost anyone with common sense starts looking very appealing.
Allen has a clear record… and its not one that anybody can get up and be exicited about. Do you know what you do with a losing horse? Well you certainly do not continue to run it again and again. You put it out to pasture. You try and remove it from your mind and spend your time looking for a winner.
You folks in the Allen camp live in a world of your own imagining. Kaine would stomp him like a bug. I gotta say.. I would personally rather vote for a communist like Kaine than a whore like Allen.
Aaron,
I am hardly in the Allen camp. I am simply opposed to the nonsensical Tea Party candidates who want to drag the Republican Party to the extreme far right, making it unacceptable and unsupportable to moderates like me. I blame the Tea Party Senate candidates in 2010 for not only ensuring that Dirty Harry Reid was reelected to the Senate but also ensuring that the liberal Democrats remained in the majority. Jamie Radtke is not electable and no amount of huffing, puffing, and unscientific BD polls is going to change that. If I was a believer in conspiracy theories, then I would have to think that Radtke’s supporters are on Tim Kaine’s payroll.
The only thing more laughable than Radtke’s candidacy is her supporters trying in vain to insist that she is a credible candidate.
She isn’t — and it also shows how little some of the posters know of Virginia’s political history to label Allen as a “liberal”
I laughed so hard at that one I almost fell out of my chair
To Aaron and other Radtke supporters,
The point you are not addressing is why Tea Party movement candidates disdain local and state politics where they can do good, build up experience and credibility as well as reassuring middle of the roaders like HisRoc that they are not going to do an Obama of the right. That is, that they will seek to persuade and look for places to assuage concern while advancing conservative policies rather than ram them through and cackle. As HisRoc notes someone like Radtke should be running for State Senate not US Senate. Even the arrogant little messiah ran for State Senate first.
HisRoc, thank you for the correction on “toe the line”. Not that you didn’t get my point or that error had anything to do with my being wrong on anything else. You are not the person to be telling me that I am in error when you post that transparently full of BS post, that I unleashed on you for. I called you out on your crap.
Valentinus, I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t think there is a disdain for state/local. Radtke has the ability to get it done and unlike George Allen, is right on the issues. I apprecate the fact that she is not apart of the problem and will take a very different approach to things than the sell outs that put us in this horrible spot. Normally, I would agree that starting off lower down the scale would be wise. In this case, I am sure she can handle it, progress is evident, and the alternative is unacceptable. I don’t think we have time to spare just to comfort the nerves of HisRoc. Things are really that bad. We are STILL in deep trouble.
Question: Can we start a pool on Radtke’s actual % come next June? My guess is around 4%
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