If wishes were horses.....

....Brian Davis's campaign would be riding the World Famous Lipizzanzer Stallions. From the Duluth News Tribune article Democrats dream of a good congressional vote:

St. Olaf College political scientist Dan Hofrenning said Walz looks good heading into the election cycle because he has avoided making big mistakes, carved out a moderate record and raised a lot of money.

“Walz has been a leader on the issues that play with the voters in the district,” [DFL chair Brian] Melendez said, citing the congressman’s position on veterans’ issues, the Iraq war and renewable energy.

The GOP considers Walz the most vulnerable of Minnesota’s seven congressional incumbents, [Republican Party of Minnesota chair Ron] Carey said, because he campaigned as a moderate but usually votes with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republicans endorsed Mayo physician Brian Davis, but he faces a primary contest this fall with state Sen. Dick Day.

“If we can muster resources behind Brian Davis, I think Tim Walz is very vulnerable,” Carey said. [emphasis ours]

The National Journal recently ranked Walz a centrist, so the professor is probably more accurate than the party boss.  And for now, the hope that resources will come Davis's way is a pretty big "if."

The Mankato Free Press provided a tidy analysis of Davis's dismal fundraising:

With detailed numbers now public, Congressman Tim Walz's fund-raising advantage over Republican- endorsed can­didate Dr. Brian Davis of Rochester is actually more daunting.

As previously reported, Walz raised $ 352,000 in the first three months of this year com­pared to $58,491 for Davis. But the full reports to the Federal Elections Commission show that $24,000 of Davis' receipts in the first quarter were a loan he made to his campaign.

And because Davis spent nearly $ 30,000 more during those three months than he raised, even with the loan included, his cash- on- hand declined from $ 80,000 to $ 50,000. Walz, by contrast, saw his campaign balance rise by more than $200,000 to more than $1 million.

State Sen. Dick Day's fund­raising totals are also now on file. While the longtime legisla­tor initially appeared to be run­ning third with just $16,000 in receipts for the quarter, he's actually in a slightly better position than Davis. Day, R- Owatonna, is hoping to win the GOP nomination in September and be Walz's oppo­nent on Nov. 4.

And as we noted in The new Minnesota miracle: candidates who court both delegates and contributors , Davis's excuse for the pith-poor fundraising is that he couldn't do both. Three DFL candidates in contested endorsements in both the Third and the Sixth were able to each raise over $100,000 without loans from themselves or in-kind contributions self-funding them.

The endorsed GOP candidate in the First? We took a look:

Davis took in $15843.00 in individual contributions.

The Freedom Club, the West Metro rich man's group, gave him $10,000.

He provided $8648.90 in in-kind contributions, mostly mileage.

He loaned himself $24000.00   He also owes venders $10804.30.

If Davis is riding in anything, we think Phoenix Woman has the right call.