Senate money chase narrows, presaging series of tough races

The dash for cash narrowed in most of the top Senate races for the second quarter, setting the stage for several tough campaigns in 2008.

Sens. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) — all facing tough reelection campaigns — saw their opponents match them nearly dollar-for-dollar in the second quarter, while Democrats in North Carolina and Nebraska also made some headway in uphill races.

{mosads}With many incumbents getting their campaign machines in gear and launching their first ads of the cycle, some of them saw their campaign kitties drained accordingly. Challengers in those races were able to use this to close wide cash-on-hand gaps.

North Carolina state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) raised about $500,000 less than Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s (R) $2.1 million over the quarter. But Dole, who has gone up with two TV ads, saw her cash decline from $3.2 million to $2.7 million.

Rep. Mark Udall (D), who leads most polls in Colorado’s open Senate race, likewise saw his cash on hand go down slightly to $4 million, despite outraising former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) $2 million to $1.4 million.

In Minnesota and Oregon, Coleman and Smith also saw their cash advantages shrink.

Coleman had watched comedian Al Franken (D) outraise him for the last three quarters but lose in the cash game thanks to a high burn rate. In the second quarter, Coleman raised slightly more, but Franken out-banked him by about $500,000, coming within about $3 million of Coleman’s $7.2 million war chest.

State Rep. Jeff Merkley (D) raised a little more than Smith’s $1.3 million and managed to increase his own cash on hand, despite a May primary, while Smith’s budget shrank from $5.1 million to $4.5 million.

Merkley, who turned away a tough primary opponent, still trails in cash by about $4 million, though.

Other senators who didn’t spend their money as quickly still saw opponents nipping at their heels.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of the pre-eminent fundraisers in the Senate, pulled in $3 million and banked $9 million. Opponent Bruce Lunsford, meanwhile, used $2.5 million of his personal funds to match the Senate minority leader’s receipts.

Like Merkley, Lunsford still trails by a wide margin in cash thanks to a tough primary, but his personal wealth should help make up for it.

In Maine, Rep. Tom Allen (D) raised only slightly less than Collins’s $1.1 million but still trails her, $5.1 million to $3.1 million, in cash.

Nebraska Democrat Scott Kleeb actually outraised former Gov. Mike Johanns (R), $700,000 to $680,000. Johanns, though, remains a heavy favorite and has more cash.

In the GOP’s top hope for a pickup, Louisiana, both Landrieu and state Treasurer John Kennedy (R) raised about $1.5 million.

Other races weren’t so close.

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) continues to build a huge advantage over former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R), raising $2.9 million to Gilmore’s $430,000.

Gilmore, who narrowly survived his May state convention, had just $120,000 in cash left over, while Warner had $5.1 million.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) continued his stellar fundraising, outdoing state Rep. Rick Noriega (D) nearly 2-to-1 and increasing his cash on hand to $9.4 million — the most of any senator up for reelection this year.

Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) continued to outraise Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) for that state’s open seat, $2.1 million to $1.2 million.

For Idaho’s open seat, favored Lt. Gov. Jim Risch (R) pulled in $510,000, compared to former Rep. Larry LaRocco’s (D) $230,000.

Independent Rex Rammell’s campaign said he plugged another $250,000 of his own money into the race. Rammell and LaRocco have been joining forces to take on Risch.

In other races, Anchorage, Alaska Mayor Mark Begich (D) raised $1 million, former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) raised $1.6 million and former Rep. Dick Zimmer (R-N.J.) raised $450,000.

The incumbents they are facing — Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), John Sununu (R-N.H.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), respectively — did not release their numbers by press time.