A press release from the Walz campaign:
(Mankato, MN) - Today, Congressman Tim Walz announced that he has raised more than a half million dollars for his re-election. Walz, a freshman who upset incumbent Congressman Gil Gutknecht in 2006, ends the second quarter with $482,413 cash on hand.
“I’m humbled by the support I’ve received since taking office in January. These numbers demonstrate that Minnesotans continue to support the change they demanded in November,” said Walz.
“In total, supporters and the organizations they belong to have contributed just over $565,000 to my campaign this cycle,” continued Walz. “I truly appreciate the outpouring of support and I hope to continue working for the voters of southern Minnesota for a long time to come.”
Since the start of the 2008 election cycle, Walz has raised a total of $565,295.
Matt at MnPublius believes Republicans are "delusional" to think they stand a chance against Walz. We respectfully disagree: at this time in the 2005-2006 election cycle, Walz had raised only $43,768.00 and had a mere $27,305.51 cash on hand. Gutknecht, on the other hand, had $495267.15 in the bank--an amount uncannily close to what Walz now has in reserve. Despite the huge cash disadvantage, Walz prevailed through incredible hard and strategic campaigning, with big money poured into the race in the last few months before November.
Another important factor was Gutknecht's own confidence that the district was his, and the resulting sloth as a candidate and denial about the abilities of his opponent. Should the Walz camp rest on its cash cushion and take the contest for granted, he risks falling to the same fate.
However, it's difficult to imagine Tim Walz resting on his laurels. Or resting, period. In the district and in Washington D.C., the representative is always in action. Nor has he lost his fundmental, common humility or concern for average people.
Given the party voting indices in the district, and the national stakes for the race, we predict a rumpus.
And now we wait for Q2 reports from the rest of the elephant herd seeking the GOP endorsement in the Fighting First.
Q2 Update: The Big Question
Kevin Diaz says that robust fundraising in the first two quarters of the cycle has helped Tim Walz retire some of the campaign debt in The Big Question:
...Walz, a rising star in the Minnesota DFL, logged a total of $565,295 in contributions as of June 30, the end of the second quarter reporting period. After retiring some campaign debt, he was left with $482,413 in cash on hand.
Walz said he’s “humbled” by the support he’s received since taking office in January. “I truly appreciate the outpouring of support,” he said.
The strong fundraising figures also reflect the importance both parties place on winning the First Congressional District in Minnesota, a swing district that had been in Republican hands since Gutknecht was first elected in 1994.
Since then, Democratic leaders in Congress have made it a priority to protect freshmen who helped them win back control of the House.
In yesterday's state press call, Congressman Walz thanks Diaz for his article about his household debt, and said that Gwen had set him a $50 food budget for the week. Since he is on a diet anyway, Walz couldn't object to his wife's frugal planning.
Update: The Divine Tild has us blushing over this birthday tribute. And Jennifer Lopez sent her birthday wishes, too. Go figure: sounds like we should show up more at Drinking Liberally or something.
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