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Incumbents rule in Dixie Senate fundraising

February 14, 2008 — Incumbent US Senators in the South ended up the year 2007 in good financial shape, according to the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) year end reports, proving yet again, in politics as in life, “them as has gits”. All ten senators seeking re-election to a full term are flush with cash, and their challengers have so far not amassed the kind of war chest it takes to unseat an incumbent.  

The biggest Dixie money-raiser -- again, not a surprise, since he’s from Texas -- was US Sen. John Cornyn (R), who had some $7.5 million cash on hand on Dec. 31. Mildly surprising, however, was the tepid fundraising record -- some $688,000 on hand -- of Rick Noriega (D), the highly touted candidate of the state’s computer-savvy liberals.

In Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) ended the year with the second largest war chest, some $7.3 million. His major foe, Bruce Lunsford (D), hasn’t been in the race long enough to file an FEC report, but other Democrats are trailing badly.

And in South Carolina, Lindsey Graham (R) may be the target of conservative sniping, but he had Dixie’s third largest cash pot, with $4.7 million on hand. His primary foe, GOP National Committeeman Buddy Witherspoon, had a paltry $9,000.

In Georgia, Saxby Chambliss (R) is sitting on nearly $4.5 million, far more than his nearest Democratic rival, Vernon Jones, with $269,000. Jones, however, is way ahead of his two primary opponents.

Other Southern Republican incumbents are also in great financial shape. Oklahoma’s James Inhofe had nearly $1.9 million on hand, to $361,000 for state Sen. Andrew Rice (D). Alabama’s Jeff Sessions (R) had nearly $4 million to a very low $18,000 for state Sen. Vivian Figures (D). And Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, who so far has no opponent, had almost $2.1 million on hand.

Dixie’s two Democratic incumbents facing the voters this year are also in good financial shape. Arkansas’s Mark Pryor, who has no GOP foe as yet, had $3.6 million on hand. And in Louisiana, Mary Landrieu had $4.1 million on hand, to state Treasurer John Kennedy’s (R) $472,000, though Kennedy has not been in the money chase that long.

The Democrats are also smiling big time in Virginia, where former Gov. Mark Warner (D) is looking more and more like a safe bet to fill the seat of retiring Republican John Warner. Mark Warner had nearly $2.9 million on hand, to a mere $183,000 for the GOP’s Jim Gilmore, also a former governor.

Democrats are beginning to raise significant funds in North Carolina, where the GOP’s US Sen. Elizabeth Dole had just under $2.7 million on hand, not as impressive as one might expect for the former chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In the Democratic contest to oppose Dole, state Sen. Kay Hagan has much more cash on hand than investment banker Jim Neal, $516,000 to $139,000.

More details below.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)
4^th Quarter Reports, 2007                                                                                                   
US Senate