April 17, 2009
Writing on the Wall for Dodd?
First quarter campaign donation reports are in, and while Connecticut's other senator, Chris Dodd, has nearly $1.4 million cash on hand, only $4,250 of that came from Connecticut donors - a whopping five (5!) people.
The five-term incumbent reported raising just $4,250 from five Connecticut residents during the first three months of the year while raking in $604,745 from nearly 400 individuals living outside the state.
While incumbents often turn to special interests for early campaign fundraising, Dodd's out-of-state total seems unusually high and comes at a time when he has been plagued by poor approval ratings among state voters.
Plagued by poor approval ratings among state voters? That's an understatement. More:
Massie Ritsch, a spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks federal campaign contributions, said Dodd's low percentage of in-state funding strikes him as unusual.
"Historically, there is no shortage of campaign money that comes out of Connecticut," he said. "In 2008, Connecticut ranked 14th, contributing $53 million to all federal candidates and parties." Ritsch also noted during his last re-election campaign Dodd, a Democrat, raised 30 percent from within Connecticut's borders.
The meager state fundraising effort also seems antithetical to a campaign strategy to rebuild confidence among Connecticut voters that he is on their side.
Now it's early days in the race for campaign cash, so there's always the possibility for the self-described former "dark horse" presidential candidate to come out from behind amongst his own constituents. But when a huge amount of your campaign dollars is coming from non-state residents, it's time to either rethink your strategy or rethink your candidacy. After all, a senator from Connecticut is supposed to represent Connecticut - not special interest groups and residents from other states who might be more interested in keeping a particular party in charge than keeping ethics and integrity intact.
Maybe Iowa is looking for a new senator. I hear Dodd likes it there.
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