Republican fundraising woes in MN-01

While Ashwin Madia was battling hard for the MN-03 DFL endorsement, he raised around $200,000 in Q1. Terri Bonoff did the same. However, the Republican endorsed candidate in MN-01 had a hard time. Brian Davis of Rochester raised a measly $28,000 in Q1. Davis was forced to make a $8+K donation in Q1. He'll be competing against Sen. Dick Day (R-Owatonna) in the Republican Primary in September. The primary winner will face Rep. Tim Walz (DFL-MN-01).

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, sprinted out to a substantial fundraising lead over the two Republicans seeking to oust him, according to first quarter disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Walz, who is seeking a second term, raised a net $352,044 during the period and ended March with $1.02 million in cash on hand. Of the $1.5 million he has raised for the campaign overall, individuals gave about 59 percent and special-interest political action committees, or PACs, donated about 40 percent, with party groups giving the rest.

Meanwhile, the party-backed Republican candidate, Mayo physician Brian Davis of Rochester, reported $50,445 in reserves. State Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna, who bypassed the endorsement process and is running against Davis in the September primary reported $72,186 in reserves.

Davis boosted his total receipts for the campaign to $222,592, in part through donations and loans by Davis himself. Of the $34,991 in first-quarter donations made to his campaign, $15,843 came from individuals and $10,000 came from the Freedom Club Federal PAC of New Hope, Minn., which backs conservative candidates. Davis contributed the rest, $8,648, via in-kind contributions, bringing his total contributions to the campaign to $58,543.
(Rochester Post Bulletin)

Why are these Republicans having such a hard time fundraising?

1. They support President Bush's occupation of Iraq.
2. They support President Bush's economic policies.
3. The Republican brand has been severely damaged by 7+ years of the Bush Administration.
4. Nationally, the Republicans are already stretched financially.

While I'm sure I'm missing a few reasons (incompetence perhaps?), the fourth point may be the kicker. With so many embattled Republicans to defend across the country (Norm Coleman is an example), the meager resources the Republicans have are stretched. They will have a difficult time expanding their targeted races to included first-term Democrats like Tim Walz because the RNC's fundraising lags behind the Democrats by a huge margins. Obviously, this is an ongoing story to watch.

Day reported $16,223 in first quarter donations, all from individuals. The quarter's donations brought total contributions to $226,387, which includes a personal loan by Day of $23,000 and a $7,000 personal donation, both made last year. Campaign debt was confined to the personal loan.

State Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield, who lost the party endorsement to Davis and will run for re-election to the Minnesota House, raised $13,803 during the quarter, all from individuals. The total brought him to $83,979 in overall donations. He ended the quarter with $3,338 in reserves.
(Rochester Post Bulletin)

Those are pathetic fundraising totals. Those totals are barely enough to compete for their respective State Senate and House seats. It gets better, though. Here's Davis's explanation for why he couldn't raise any money:

Davis, reached on Wednesday, said he envisioned much more active fundraising through June 30 compared to the first quarter, when he and Demmer were seeking the party endorsement. "The real point here is we were all engaged in this endorsement process and not on fundraising," Davis said.

With the state party endorsement in hand, he expects to win more support from party committees and potential donors. Already, the 1st District Republican Party has donated $1,000, he said, and the state party has certified him as the endorsed candidate to the Republican National Committee.

"We're going to be able to move forward with our sights set on the general election in November," Davis said.

Day said last week that he did not actively seek first-quarter donations because the state Senate was still in session. He expected to begin contacting potential donors after the session wraps up next month.
(Rochester Post Bulletin)

So while these guys duke it out against each in the primary, spending their paltry nickels, Walz campaign coffers will be filling up. It's looking good for Tim.