Congressman Walz and Randy "Dialing It Back" Demmer release Q2 fundraising figures

A press release in from the Walz campaign office:

Walz Campaign Raises More Than $1.4 Million
Reports zero debt

Rochester, MN – Tim Walz for US Congress announced it raised more than $1.4 million in the 2010 Election, $381,000 coming in the last three months alone. The campaign has $856,000 in reserves and will report zero debt as of June 30, 2010.

Tim Walz for US Congress campaign manager Richard Carlbom released the following statement:

“Tim Walz is proud of the grassroots, people-powered campaign that provides the resources needed to win in November. He continues to fight for fiscal responsibility in Washington with Pay-As-You-Go budgeting rules and Tim is running his campaign the same way – his campaign will report zero debt,” said Carlbom. “Rep. Randy Demmer may talk a lot about fiscal responsibility, but he has run a debt of more than $130,000 going on two years. Saying one thing and doing another is the sign of a typical politician.”

MinnPost reports that Demmer had raised $304,000 and had $274,000 COH, (but didn't mention Demmer's committee debt, which goes back to his unsuccessful bid for endorsement in 2008):

Republican Randy Demmer raised $304,000 in the second quarter, his campaign announced to supporters on Facebook, Twitter and via his website today.

That leaves Demmer, a Republican state representative from Hayfield, with a little more than $271,000 cash-on-hand. The Demmer camp emphasized that 90 percent of their donations came in the second half of the quarter, after the legislative session ended on May 17.

Demmer hopes to unseat 1st District sophomore Tim Walz, who took 62.5 percent of the vote in 2008. The incumbent Democrat hasn't released his second quarter totals yet, but had almost $600,000 cash-on-hand remaining from more than $1 million raised as of the end of March.

CQ Politics and the Cook Political Report rate the race Likely Democrat, while the Rothenberg Political Report has it as a safe seat.

In short, once the debt is factored in, Demmer's position isn't quite so good--sort of like a used car with the odometer dialed back on the lot. Looks to be good deal, but not quite the bargain if the buyer really knew how many miles were on that vehicle (and what it could do to a warranty or affect scheduled service).

On the other hand, given the way the $135,000 debt flickered in and out of earlier FEC reports, perhaps the engine simply isn't that sound to begin with. I think I'll call him Randy "Dialing it Back" Demmer for the rest of the race.