The Federal Election Commission filings for the first quarter of the year are beginning to roll in and be analyzed. Here’s what some reporters in the national media are writing:
From the Huffington Post on Outside funding of Put Alaska First, the pro-Sen. Mark Begich super-PAC:
In advertisements to support Sen. Mark Begich (D), Alaska-based super PAC Put Alaska First has questioned the home-state credentials of the one-term senator’s opponents and critics. The group has cast potential Republican opponent Dan Sullivan as an interloper…But the pro-Begich Put Alaska First also relies heavily on out-of-state support, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. Nearly all of its funds have come from the national Democratic group, Senate Majority PAC, and most of that money has been paid to a Democratic media buying firm created to work with Senate Majority PAC and other national super PACs.
Of the $825,000 total the group has received, $645,000, or 82 percent of that has come from the Senate Majority PAC, the principal Democratic super PAC spending money in midterm Senate races. According to filings, Washington state-based Fishermen’s Finest gave $100,000. Anchorage developer Jon Rubini gave $10,000, and contractor Michael Hammer gave $3,000. In addition, the California-based San Pablo Lytton Casino has given $32,500.
The official filings for the candidates aren’t posted on the FEC site yet, so we’re going by what Mark Begich and GOP candidate Dan Sullivan have told us. The other two GOP Senate candidates, Joe Miller and Mead Treadwell, haven’t yet shared the numbers.
From Politico on the fundraising of Begich and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, both of whom are considered among the most vulnerable Senate Democrats and both of whom were outraised by a challenger:
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor raised $1.22 million — slightly lagging behind his Republican challenger Rep. Tom Cotton, who brought in $1.35 million…But Pryor still holds the cash-on-hand advantage. He has $4.4 million in the bank, while Cotton has $2.7 million. Recent polls have also shown Pryor with only a slight edge over Cotton. Alaska Sen. Mark Begich was also outraised by his likely GOP challenger, Dan Sullivan, for the second consecutive quarter. Begich brought in $1.05 million and has $2.8 million in the bank, while Sullivan raised 1.3 million and has just under $2 million on hand, their campaigns announced.
Politico’s Morning Score also categorized Begich as a “Loser” in the fundraising game. Here’s the blog entry in full:
Democrat Mark Pryor, AR-Sen ($1.22 million raised, $4.4 million on hand), who was outraised for the second quarter in a row by GOP Rep. Tom Cotton and needs his early investment in TV ads to pay off in future fundraising; Republican Tom Corbett, PA-Gov ($1.4 million raised, $5.9 million on hand), who was outraised by Democrat Allyson Schwartz and who spent twice as much as he raised this quarter; Democrat Clay Aiken, NC-02 ($233,000 raised, $125,000 on hand), whose American Idol fame didn’t do much for his fundraising ability;Democrat Mark Begich, AK-Sen ($1 million raised, $2.8 million on hand), who was outraised by GOP candidate Dan Sullivan; Republicans Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey, GA-Sen($345,000 and $326,000 raised, respectively), whose fundraising hauls were considerably less than fellow GOP candidates Jack Kingston’s and David Perdue’s — and definitely less than Democrat Michelle Nunn’s $2.4 million.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
GB, I hope you happened to see on the national news last night former NYC mayor Bloomberg launching his new gun registration efforts. He said he will match the NRA dollar for dollar. He is working with Celinda Lake, the high-priced pollster and campaign manager that Mark Begich has hired for the current political campaign. Given that when Begich was Anchorage mayor he signed Anchorage up with Bloomberg’s Mayors against Guns, this is all too close and too much of a threat to law-abiding gun ownership for me. These big-city big-shots have personal bodyguards and they don’t understand why ordinary citizens need to own firearms.
Evidently the Constitution is merely a nuisance to Bloomberg and Lake, and possibly to Begich! As every Alaskan knows, without an errant Justice Dept. falsely indicting Ted Stevens we never would have elected Begich.
I really dislike super PACs. They are vehicles of the special interrests. Like it or not, special interests are part of the system and here to stay. Consequently, you have to look at the special interests to ascertain what they want, who they are and are their interests aligned with mine. Begich’s PAC ( Put AK First) is not aligned with my personal interests or that of my state. It is funded by the Harry Reid – Nancy Pelosi liberal Democrats. People like Michael Bloomberg who wants to increase gun registrations and outlaw other types of guns is one of their big contributors.
Sorry. Can’t bring myself to vote for Begich and am trying to decide between Dan Sullivan and Joe Miller.
If Begich is being labeled as a loser coming in with seven figures but behind DNR Dan Sullivan, what the heck would you call Treadwell’s continued miserable financial showing. Treadwell may well be the most unsuccessful senatorial challenger in the country at this point. By continuing to stay in the race, in essence, he’s become the pawn of the Obama-Reid-Pelosi- Begich machine. What is Mead thinking ? Or maybe he should start thinking !