Walberg outraised; Kilpatrick challengers cash-poor

Michigan candidates facing competitive races released their pre-primary fundraising numbers late this week, showing Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R) and Carolyn Kilpatrick (D) outpacing their challengers, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R) struggling to keep pace with his opponent.

Walberg, a first-term Republican representing south-central Michigan, brought in just under $370,000 in the pre-primary period covering April 1 through July 16, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. Walberg’s opponent, Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, beat Walberg with nearly $430,000 in the same period.

{mosads}Through the entire election cycle, Schauer has outraised Walberg, $1.3 million to $1.2 million. Schauer also maintains an advantage in cash on hand, with $930,000 in the bank to Walberg’s $860,000.

Schauer faces primary opposition in 2006 nominee Sharon Renier. Renier filed a report showing she raised $6,000 between April 1 and June 30, but she has not accounted for the last 16 days.

Kilpatrick maintained a strong fundraising lead over her primary challengers, state Sen. Martha Scott and former state Rep. Mary Waters.

Kilpatrick drew the challenges after standing in support of her son, indicted Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D). She raised more than $260,000 through mid-July but spent as much as she brought in during the same period.

She still had nearly $460,000 in cash on hand.

The Scott and Waters campaigns downplayed the importance of fundraising. Their FEC filings were not available Friday afternoon.

Scott campaign spokesman Michael Wells said he did not know how much the campaign had raised, or if it was going to file with the FEC or not.

Waters campaign manager Sam Riddle said the campaign had raised “considerably less” than $75,000.

“We don’t have any damn money,” Riddle said. “Carolyn’s got all the [expletive] money.”
Knollenberg topped highly touted Democratic recruit Gary Peters with a strong report.

FEC documents showed Knollenberg notched more than $730,000 for the same pre-primary span, besting the Central Michigan University professor, who raised $570,000. Knollenberg also maintained a nearly two-to-one advantage over Peters in cash on hand, with $1.9 million in the bank to Peters’s $1.1 million.

The third candidate in the race, well-known Dr. Jack Kevorkian, has yet to file an FEC report. Spokesman Mayer Morganroth said Kevorkian is not accepting contributions but has spent $6,000 to $7,000 of his own money on the race.

Kevorkian was paroled from a second-degree homicide conviction in the summer of 2007, and he announced this spring that he would run as an independent.

Michigan’s primaries are set for Aug. 5.