Fund Raising Notes

The Washington Post reports that Albert Wynn (MD-4) is taking no chances in ’08. For those who have forgotten, Wynn had a near-death experience in the Dem primary in ’06 when his complacency nearly cost him his seat and could have sent Donna Edwards to Congress.

According to campaign finance reports filed July 15, U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn
(D-Md.) has raised more than $460,000 so far in his effort to win a ninth term
in office. He has spent just over $153,000, leaving him with just under $400,000
to spend before the Feb. 12 Democratic primary, according to a quarterly report
filed July 15 for the period through June 30. And Wynn is, of course, still
raising money.

[…]

According to her report, Edwards has raised
$130,815 for a rematch against Wynn. She has spent just over $22,000, leaving
her with a little less than $111,000 on hand. Last time around, she raised
$350,000 for her whole effort, and but she is aiming to bank twice that before
the primary.

It looks like Wynn took the message to heart and I’d go out on a limb and predict that he’ll beat Edwards like a rented mule in ’08.

Trending: Thank You

Let’s face it. Wynn is about as good as we’re going to get out of that district. The nutroots over at Free State Politics are already frothing about Wynn’s disloyalty to fringe left. That alone makes it worth cheering for him.

Maryland Politics Today reports that Wayne Gilchrest pulled in $20K at two fundraisers over the weekend as well as unspecified endorsements. State Senator Andy Harris had an impressive entry into the race. According to the New York Times:

The 1st is heavily Republican, and the action is in the Republican primary.
Nine-term Republican Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest’s role as a leading House moderate
has drawn him conservative primary challengers in the past, and it is happening
again for 2008. Gilchrest reported $51,000 in second-quarter receipts, bringing
his 2007 take to $82,000, though his available cash was a healthy $353,000. His
primary opponent, three-term state Sen. Andrew Harris, raised $178,000, of which
$2,000 was a loan from his personal accounts, and did that in less than a month,
as he just declared his candidacy in June; Harris had $163,000 in cash on
hand.

If he can keep the fundraising momentum, and we are hopeful that it wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan, Gilchrest is beatable. And he needs to be beaten.

If anyone has other money race updates, let us know: streiffatredstate^at^gmaildotcom.