Usually Bluestem compares quarterly fundraising in an election cycle with with the same point in previous cycles, but this time, Josh Moniz at the New Ulm Journal beat us to it.
In Candidates report fund-raising efforts, Moniz reports:
Parry and Quist have shown surprisingly small fund raising this election cycle when compared to prior Republican challengers to Walz.
During the quarter prior to Sunday's reporting, Parry raised $32,000 and Quist raised $2,200. In same pre-election year period in 2007, the Republican nominee Brian Davis had raised $59,000 in contributions while then fellow potential challenger Dick Day had raised nearly $53,000. More recently over that same reporting period, the 2010 Republican challenger Randy Demmer had raised nearly $35,000.
Comparisons with the second next reporting quarter aren't flattering either. As of Sunday's reporting, Parry is at nearly $50,000 and Quist is at nearly $40,000. For the same period in 2008, Davis raised $198,000 in contributions while Day had $203,000. In 2010, Demmer had reached $71,000.
Moniz makes some additional pointed comparisons in the article, as well as writing fine summary of the Almanac debate. Go read it.
One additional point of comparison remains: 2006, the year when Walz upset incumbent Gutknecht. In Q1 2006, Gutknecht raised $105,101.00, ending the quarter with $680,073.88 cash on hand (COH). Brimming with confidence, he spent only $46,970.50.
Walz out-fundraised Gutknecht during the same period by depositing $127,024.15 of contributions. He nearly matched Gutknecht's spending, with $42,880.96 heading out the door, and ended the quarter with $124,452.29 in the bank.
Thus, in a pre-Citizens United era, Walz was in a much, much better position in April 2006, a Democratic wave year, than Quist or Parry are in more uncertain times for either party. Both are, as Moniz points out, in worse shape financially than the two earlier Walz challengers.
But in 2012, the Walz campaign isn't taking anything for granted in the way that Gutknecht did at the same point in the 2005-2006 cycle. According to his campaign committee's Q1 2012 report, Walz raised $216,798.68, spent $123,653.12 and ended the quarter with $708,259.20 COH.
It's still a long way until November, but this race isn't looking particularly hot right now.
Photo: Stick this in the Minnesota First District race, because it's done?
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