It’s not just the polls that have bad news for Creigh Deeds:
Virginia Republican Robert F. McDonnell entered October with $1.8 million more to spend on his bid for governor than his Democratic opponent, R. Creigh Deeds, a figure that helps explain why his ads have been more prevalent in recent weeks and that provides McDonnell a significant advantage for the campaign’s final sprint.
According to finance reports due to the state Thursday, McDonnell began this month with $4.5 million to spend before the election Nov. 3, compared with $2.7 million for Deeds.
The reports cover September and show that both candidates collected more that month than in either of the previous two as they have accelerated their fundraising for the last dash. McDonnell collected $3.8 million from 6,440 individual donors last month, and Deeds took in $3.5 million from 3,763 contributors.
McDonnell has had more to spend throughout the general election campaign, particularly because Deeds came out of a tough three-way primary for his party’s nomination in June nearly broke.
Deeds spent much of June and July behind closed doors raising money — a quiet period for his campaign, which he has been criticized for by some fellow Democrats anxious about polls showing McDonnell with a comfortable lead in the race.
During his campaign, McDonnell has raised $18.9 million, and Deeds has brought in $14.2 million. Together, the two have collected a little less than Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and his opponent Republican Jerry Kilgore in 2005, a sign that the recession might be limiting donations despite interest in the race.
Money doesn’t guarantee electoral success — Kilgore outraised Kaine in 2005, and Deeds won the Democratic nomination despite being significantly outspent. But McDonnell’s advantage has been extended by an aggressive independent effort on his behalf by the Republican Governors Association, which has aired $4 million worth of ads for the former attorney general in recent weeks.
True, but combined with McDonnell’s clear lead in the polls, it just adds up to more headaches for Deeds.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:49 am
People will give money generously to a candidate or cause who they think has an excellent chance of winning. Team Obama will come to rue the day that they decided to work outside of the publicly-financed sytem. There will come a time again when the oppositions outswamps their expenditures.