The former state House speaker delayed announcing his totals, which is never a good sign, and wound up raising only slightly more ($386,000) than he put together last quarter ($337,000).
Romanoff had hoped for a bump from his precinct caucus victory in March, but he doesn’t appear to have gotten much of one. If he could only raise a little more money, this would be a primary that lots more people are talking about.
Cornyn pressuring Rossi
My colleague J. Taylor Rushing reports that National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman John Cornyn is pressuring former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to make up his mind about running for Senate in Washington state.
Rossi, put simply, is in no hurry. And the fact that he can wait till June to file for Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) means time is on side. The GOP doesn’t have much of an alternative, and he knows that. He also thinks he can tap all of his old donors and raise money very quickly if he needs to.
All of that might be true, but there’s something to be said for having fire in the belly. Waiting until five months before the election to launch a campaign doesn’t signal much fire. And that might be what Republicans are really concerned about.
After former GOP governors passed on campaigns in Wisconsin and New York recently, Rossi is the last big prize on the GOP map.
Other updates
-With businessman Matt Doheny (R) picking up steam in New York’s 23rd district, we could be headed for another three-way race.
-The American Future Fund is launching a $1 million ad campaign against former Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) in his GOP Senate primary.
-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is tacking right on illegal immigration, just in time for his primary with former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.).