Over at Hit & Run, David Weigel reports on internal polls that show Ron Paul with a comfortable lead over his primary opponent:
From a starting point of around 60 percent last month, Paul is at 72 percent in the last internal poll. Peden is at 11 percent. According to [Campaign Manager Mark] Elam the numbers have been moving since the campaign bought $400,000 in TV and radio ads in the district.
I asked about Peden’s internal polls, which show him up 10 over Paul. “Our Democratic opponent said the same thing last year,” Elam said. “I think we won by 20 points. These guys are doing so poorly that they have to put out false numbers.” According to the Paul campaign’s polls, only about 20 percent of TX-14 voters have an opinion of Peden, and most have never heard of him.
Earlier today, Weigel noted that Paul was out fundraising and outspending Peden by an insurmountable margin:
Peden’s disbursement report reveals where the cash is going:
- Nearly $3,900 to Houston-based Ignite Marketing for campaign materials
- About $8,000 for campaign signs
- Nearly $20,000 to DC political consultants at Marsh Copsey and Associates. (Marsh Copsey didn’t end up producing anything for the campaign—the relationship ended without ads.)
- $679 to his 17-year old daughter Brittany for “contract labor”
Paul’s disbursements are here: Most of his money is going into media and paying his staff, and as a result he’s pummelling Peden on the airwaves. I wonder if the people taking Patrick Ruffini’s advice are getting much for their cash.
Based on this, it appears that Paul will hold on to his seat. Making the third-party run idea officially dead.
