WASHINGTON — Michele Bachmann raised more money than all but one representative in the House last quarter, according to an analysis of FEC records compiled by PolitiFact Florida. What’s more, given the torrid fundraising pace of both of her Democratic challengers, Minnesota’s 6th District could wind up being the most expensive House race in the country.
Bachmann pulled in $810,000 in the first quarter (through March 31), a staggering amount that easily set the record for best election year first quarter by any House candidate in Minnesota history. Eric Ostermeier over at the U’s Smart Politics blog found that her individual contributions nearly totalled those of the state’s other seven incumbents combined. Note that those totals don’t include the estimated $500,000+ she raised from a fundraiser earlier this month with Sarah Palin — that counts for the second quarter.
PolitiFact’s analysis came in response to a claim by Florida Democrat Alan Grayson that he’d raised more money than any other representative this past quarter. In fact, he came third, behind House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia and Bachmann. PolitiFact rated Grayson’s claim as “false.”
While Bachmann holds a sizeable fundraising lead, the two Democrats vying to take her on also have impressive war chests. Tarryl Clark set a state record for a challenger by taking in $505,000 in the first quarter herself, and passing the $1 million mark overall. Maureen Reed brought in $204,000 this quarter, and loaned herself another $250,000, which gives her a large amount of cash to spend as well.
All of that is to say that the 6th District won’t just see vast sums of money spent this election year, it will almost certainly see state election spending records shattered — and possibly more spent there than in any other district in America.
Where is the “analysis” here? It takes no skill and adds little to the debate to report bottom-line figures for candidates.
Where does Bachmann’s money come from? How much from the financial sectors that her sole committee oversees? How much from the energy companies she represents so well? How much from outside her district? In Bachmann’s first congressional campaign, I found more than $50,000 in donations from advocates of abolishing all public education. Is she still hauling in that kind of money from public school abolitionists?
The source of a candidate’s money is far more important than the sum totals they’re raising. Enough with the horse race. Give us some context. Sure, it’s a little harder than just clicking on the summary page of a candidate’s committee four times a year. But isn’t that what you guys get paid to do?
In the last election, much of Bachmann’s money was raised at big-bucks luncheons and dinners with Washington “stars” like Bush, Cheney and Rove.