I’m all about Elizabeth Warren; she’s my favorite Senate candidate this cycle and someone whom I think will have the kind of integrity to do “the right thing” for Americans like a Bernie Sanders out of Vermont. It’s pretty amazing that she has been able to raise this kind of money with very few big money corporate backers, unlike Scott Brown who has the whole of Wall Street backing him. She’s unique, she’s unbelievably smart and has shown that she’s pretty good at politics. And while people like Scott Brown as a person (I do too)…we must understand – unfortunately in today’s day and age – politics is a team sport. There are very few “mavericks” left willing to buck party leadership in the Republican party. And the last three years has shown the Republican moderate doesn’t exist. Massachusetts voters – Buyer Beware. You’ve got a gem…go vote for her.
The WaPost has the story:
Even though Warren has been in the campaign for less than seven months, she has already raised $15.8 million and has about $11 million cash on hand.
That’s still less than Brown, who raised $3.4 million in the first quarter and had $15 million in the bank as of March 31, but given how quickly Warren is raising money, she should close that gap by Election Day.
Warren’s total isn’t a record for a Senate candidate — Lazio raised about $22 million in the third quarter of 2000 as his race with Clinton ramped up and Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle raised $14 million in the third quarter of 2010 — but it certainly ranks up there with the biggest fundraising quarters of all time, and it happened during a relatively sleepy portion of the campaign.
Salon says running against Wall Street pays:
This is further confirmation that what was initially seen as one of Warren’s chief liabilities as a candidate – Wall Street’s hostility toward her, and its dedication to pouring money into Brown’s campaign – is just as much a strength. Her reputation among progressives as a rare, uncorrupted advocate of the 99 percent has made her campaign a magnet for donations from across the country. Brown still has more money in the bank (about $15 million) than Warren, but it’s beginning to look like neither candidate will enjoy a decisive financial advantage in this race.
The NY Times tells us where the money is coming from:
According to the Warren campaign, 83 percent of her donations in the first quarter of 2012 were for $50 or less. The campaign was also quick to point out that Ms. Warren raised more than Mr. Brown from Massachusetts donors between January and March, eager to combat Republican criticism that she is buoyed mostly by out-of-state support.
Still, only $2.5 million, or 36 percent, of Ms. Warren’s first-quarter donations came from Massachusetts. Mr. Brown’s campaign said that 71 percent of his first-quarter donations came from inside the state.
03/18/2012 – St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on March 14, 2010. A long standing Boston tradition.
