Duckworth raises $121,000 in just weeks

[wndycty]

Duckworth raises $121,000 in just weeks

January 31, 2006

With fund-raising help from Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and both Illinois senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, House candidate Tammy Duckworth raised $120,919.01 in just a few weeks, with $105,073.34 cash on hand.
-snip-

Christine Cegelis, who won the nomination in 2004, raised $68,160 in the last quarter and has $39,179 cash on hand.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-cong31.html

[Indykatie]

1. Does She Have Web Site

I'd like to make donation.

[wndycty]

2. Here you go!

http://www.duckworthforcongress.com/donate.html

[mopinko]

3. and?

[wndycty]

4. Just reporting the facts, not making things up

:kick:

[LSK]

5. with help...

"Duckworth, who has come under criticism for living just outside the district in Hoffman Estates and for getting help from Chicago Democrats, got $77,000 in donations from individuals and $44,000 from political action committees, spokesman Billy Weinberg said. Nearly half of the PAC money came from funds controlled by Durbin and Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago, he said."

http://www.dailyherald.com/special/election/ele_story.asp?id=149090

[dogman]

6. You mean our Democratic leadership is serious about winning?

That's great.

[LSK]

7. i just dont like how all this money has to be spent on a primary

Meanwhile the Republican has to spend nothing and saves up for the gen election.

[wndycty]

8. Keep bitching about the money. . .

. . .the fact of the matter is without Rahm Emanuel's help Lindy Scott has more cash on hand than Cegalis

[mopinko]

34. part of my frustration with this whole discussion

is your insistence on putting forth such ridiculous arguments. lindy scott has a lot of money because he isn't really waging a campaign to spend it on. it is the flip side of your insistence that there is something wrong with the fact that cegelis is raising money, but not keeping "cash on hand". like it would be a good thing to sit on the money, and not spend it on the campaign. you spout off about these numbers, as though they were proof of something, in and of themselves. well, they are not. if you want to make an argument based on finances, you really have to compare them to SOMETHING! but you don't do that, because you can't. because anything meaningful that you do compare them to, would show them to be pretty ordinary numbers. compare them to other non-incumbent races, and she is pretty much in line with them. compare them to the dnc, and her numbers line up with what the chairman is doing. i have made that statement quite a few times, and it has never been answered. she is doing just what howard is doing- raising more in small donations. returning the party to the grassroots, to the people. imho, that is where it belongs.
and i will address what has been a constant point with the rahm backers here, and that is the obama/durbin thing. ok, i have no idea what that is about specifically. they do not take my calls. but i can easily see this scenario, and if you have other facts, i am sure you will bring them up.
dick durbin, although he is a very good senator, is also a very long time politician. he is not stupid. he knows how to be a good soldier. otherwise, he would not be sitting where he is sitting. barack obama, although he is new to national office, is no virgin either. am i disappointed that they have fallen in line with rahm's plan? yes. am i surprised? hell no. i would be more surprised if they didn't. i hope that howard will get a better grip on the party, and move the whole thing in, imho, the CORRECT direction.
i would infer from the comments of wndy and dogman that you both think that the party is humming along just fine, doing all the right things.
so, then, could you explain why our democracy is circling the drain?

[dogman]

9. I agree about money and support finance reform.

Until we have public funding a spending caps and limit advocacy groups we will have corruption. We cannot unilaterally disarm however. We have to rely on small donors and volunteers, plus spend smarter. I heard from prior candidates in the 6th district that campaign funds were being used unwisely. That was before Duckworth was ever mentioned. Time will tell.

[mopinko]

10. it should read- $120,000 handed to tammy duckworth

don't say she raised it- she didn't. it was handed to her. the question is- what strings are attached? who will tammy duckworth represent? the voters of the 6th district? gotta doubt it. follow the money.

[DaveinMD]

11. let's complain about money

and hand the seat to the Republicans. That's a great strategy.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

12. Dave, no matter who wins in this Democratic primary

they're gonna have a real hard time winning the general election in the IL 6th.

The Pukes have owned this seat for years.

[wndycty]

13. Not really

A lot of people believe that in the 6th a moderate Dem can beat a far right Republican, whereas a far left Dem would get trounced by far right Republican. Duckworth will be considered moderate.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

16. We'll see about this in November.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see any Dem take away Henry "the hyprocrite" Hyde's seat from the Pukes.

But I still think even if Duckworth does get the nod and she probably will; given the financial situation out there and all the help she's getting from the Regular Democratic organization, it's still gonna be a real uphill battle.

[mopinko]

22. cegelis is not "far left"

she is four square in the middle of the democratic party that helped to bring you all the middle class. the party of the regular working class person. that is to say, she represents just the kind of people that howard dean is talking about when he says- many people who are voting for republicans are really democrats, they just don't know it.
we need to get those people back. imho, they will not vote for the candidate of money and power, shoved in from chicago. they will not fall for the bait and switch that is being pulled. they are just not that stupid.
if the 6th does not turn blue, rahm has no one to blame but himself. he could have fed the party that is growing out there. instead, he trampled it.
duckworth is not a "moderate dem". she is a corporate dem, bought and paid for. why would voters that want that kind of representation vote for someone from the party that is out of power?

[DaveinMD]

14. its a tough race no doubt

that's why Dems need to stop carping at each other. The demographics are changing a bit and it there is a national tide, we could pull off the upset.

[minvis]

15. The bigger question is

why have all this money raised and spent for the primary? One of my contentions with Rahm Emanuel was wouldn't the money be better spent in the General election rather than in a primary? Also, this district already had a Democratic candidate with name recognition and an organization set up already. It just seems like Duckworth coming in as late as she did puts her in an uphill battle in this primary. And make no mistake, the reason a lot of money is being raised now is most of the district has to get to know Ms. Duckworth and her policy stances very quickly. She basically has to do all this in about 5-6 weeks.

Now, if she were running in a district where the primary was not as contested, there would not be this need to promote herself and the issues so quickly. Also, from this financial report it should be noted that $16,000 has already been spent in a few weeks and much more will have to be spent in the next 5 weeks. Wouldn't have been much better to have that $120,000 and more for just the general election when it's needed against the Republicans? Remember that's who we want to defeat, not our fellow Democrats, if it can be avoided. It could have been avoided here and that has been my problem with this whole race from the beginning.

Also, Windy, I've never said anything negative about Duckworth personally and I told you in person that I would support the winner of this primary. My negative words have always only been targeted at Rahm.

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. Your arguement has one big hole in it

Also, this district already had a Democratic candidate with name recognition and an organization set up already.

I would question how strong of a campaign oranization Ms. Cegelis has, as she only has $39,363 on hand less that three months before the primary. Considering how long she has been a candidate, it makes one wonder what her 'organization' has been doing.

[wndycty]

20. Moreover. . .

. . .I have been roundly criticized for pointing out the problems with the Cegelis campaign as a reason for not supporting her, however she obviously saw that there was a problem that is why she replaced her campaign manager. People can blame Rahm Emanuel all they want but he is not responsible for the problems that led to the shake-up of the campaign.

[mopinko]

23. oh brother

you have no idea why that campaign was "shaken up". neither do i. but somehow you squeeze it into a talking point. brother. just oh brother. your logic seems to be that it is an uphill battle, therefore christine is a bad candidate. so, let's smash what she has built, instead of building on it
so, the fact that she has fought a hard fight with nickels, dimes, and volunteers is a bad thing. ok. the fact that she has scratched out a following, in a red stronghold, with her "far left" platform, is a bad thing?
at least you have finally admitted that this is idealogical. i am happy to move on to that debate. instead of this absolute nonsense about campaign managment.
i thank pat mogee from the bottom of my heart. he worked his ass off for 3 years. he started from scratch, and did the impossible. if he cannot continue that, and he can be replaced by someone as good as kevin, how the hell can you try and paint that as some kind of bad thing? jesus.

[mopinko]

21. your argument is a load of horse _ _ _ _

how the hell can you pretend it is a valid reason to ditch a candidate because you think she is not raising enough money, and not well organized enough, then turn around a plop a fully formed, well funded, well oiled campaign on the ground for another candidate?
let's just blow the spin off this crap, and move on. this is the talking point for before they shoehorned their candidate in. the hypocrisy of it is now obvious. i suggest you contact the mothership for the new talking points.
and btw, the thing that is not on the disclosure form is the very large number of people like me who have every intention of making sure that if a democrat wins in the 6th, she will be a real democrat.

[Kevin Spidel]

17. Just and FYI - In District $$ Versus out of District $$$

Duckworth's Q4 numbers:
121K raised
16K spent
105K COH.

That includes:
10K from Obama's PAC
10K from Durbin's PAC
2K from Mike Honda
2K from David Axelrod
1K from Schakowsky

44K from PACs
69K from individual contributors

Individual contributors:

Duckworth:
69K from 52 individuals.
Only two of whom live in the district ($3,100).
One is her husband ($1,000).
One is her media person ($2,000)
The overwhelming majority from Chicago.
The overwhelming majority $1,000+

Individual contributors:
Cegelis: 71 of 102 contributions from district residents.
Duckworth: 2 of 52.

[dogman]

19. There is a lot missing here.

Is that Cegelis' Q4 number? And what is the amount raised?

[mopinko]

24. what of it?

are you really going to draw some conclusion, based on q4 numbers, knowing that everything that rahm has done hurts her fundraising?
funny how this is such an issue. you decry the influence of money on elections. you ought to be able to look around and see that a lot of the republican "campaign contributions" either end up in someone's pocket, or go to steal elections. and yet you think that dems need to do the same to get elected.
i think i am not at all alone in answering that logic by saying
BULLSHIT!!!!

[dogman]

26. I see half of a story.

That's not enough for me. You keep dragging Rahm into this and ignore that Durbin picked her and is listed as a contributor. You ignore that Obama supports her and has contributed. Schakowsky supports her and has donated. A number of posts here decried carpetbaggers and outsiders when these are Illinois Democratic Party leaders. I'm not crying foul that PDA has brought in outside money and that people outside of Illinois are now running her campaign. I once again point out that it would be foolish to tie our hand behind our back and universally disarm when the GOP is not about to.

[minvis]

25. It's in the original post

Just look. A little over $68,000 raised in the 4th quarter. That's from 102 contributions. The average contribution being a little under $700.

I'll tell you another thing the 72 contributions from district residents tells me. Cegelis is actually talking to the people in her district. You don't get that many contributions from local residents by getting money from PACs and having a big fundraiser downtown or in Washington. This is probably money raised from going to candidate coffees, community meetings, etc. I'll also tell you this. She is at a district train station in the morning and/or a community event at night every day. She is working the district with her feet rather than by glossy mailings or TV commercials.

[dogman]

27. No it's not.

That is why I asked the question. There is nothing saying that is the sole number of donors for the Q4. You also need to factor in that Duckworth was a candidate for less than one month while Cegelis was in for all three. I'll also remind you Tammy has given her feet in service to her Country.

[minvis]

28. It's from the FEC Reports

Here's a link. Take a look at all the candidates if you'd like.

http://www.fecinfo.com/cgi-win/x_racepg.exe?DoFn=IL062006H

[dogman]

29. Thanks for the link.

It doesn't show Q4 yet, however. One other point I noticed is Cegelis has a debt that actually leaves her with about $180 total. Looking at individual contributions from the first three quarters show 133 contributors from Illinois and a number of them were out of District. Bottom line is I find the post that started this a bit disingenuous and bringing to mind figures don't lie, but liars figure.

[wndycty]

30. Let's not be a hypocrite. . .

. . .isn't it hypocritical of you pointing out Duckworth's out of district money when you come to manage her campaign from Arizona?

I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with you being from out of state. Christine has to do what she feels is necessary to win and it is very common for campaign managers to come from out of state, but for one of those campaign managers to ridicule a candidate for having raised out of district money, as you have just done, is just stupid and more importantly hypocritical.

Good luck but don't hold the Duckworth campaign to a standard the Cegelis campaign is not living up to.

[minvis]

31. You're mixing apples and oranges

Where the campaign manager is from and where fundraiser money is coming from are two different animals. Yes, it is perfectly legitimate to bring up the campaign manager is from another state/district, etc. and that he/she may not know the local politics/constituency. The Duckworth campaign can certainly bring that up. But to say that just because the campaign manager is from out of state, he can't bring up where Duckworth's money is coming from and where Cegelis' money is coming from. Come on!!

Secondly, is Kevin bringing thousands of dollars of his own money for the Cegelis campaign? If he was, then yes you'd have every right to call him and Cegelis a hypocrite. Until then I think you and the Duckworth campaign should just stick to worrying about getting out your voters in the primary.

[wndycty]

32. I don't work for the Duckworth campaign. . .

. . .I have friends who do and other than making a few calls to introduce people to one another I have not been working for the Duckworth campaign, if asked to I might, however other than engaging in some cyber debates on her behalf my preference is to wait until we have a nominee in the 6th before I really get involved out there. I do this so that I can support the eventual nominee regardless of who that is.

As I said there is nothing wrong with Kevin coming from out of town, but there is also nothing wrong with Duckworth getting money from outside of the district. It should be pointed out that in the FEC report that was filed Duckworth had only been fundraising for two weeks, now when her 1st quarter report comes out (after the primary) it will be interesting to see how much in district money she received, also it will be interesting to see if the percentage of out of district money for Cegelis increases, after all I'm sure Kevin can (and should) tap some of his PDA friends for funding. I bet his mere presence has prompted some to donate AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. By criticizing Duckworth for her out of district $$$$ the Cegelis camp puts itself in the position of looking hypocritical whenever it accepts ANY out of district support.

[minvis]

33. You're right

There is nothing wrong with getting money from outside the district, per se, but it is perfectly legitimate to point out where financial support is coming from. It can, although it does not necessarily have to , point to a candidate's electoral support within that district. With a lot of contributions from people within the district, it is at least showing that you are meeting people in the area. Out of district money tells me that you have friends outside the district who like either you or your campaign. And yes, Cegelis can be taken to task if if turns out a huge amount of money comes from out of the district although her campaign up to this point does not point to that happening. Duckworth also may start getting more in district money in the 1st quarter, although, it probably will be a moot point because the primary will be over by the time the 1st quarter numbers come in.

The out of district money wouldn't bother me so much if I knew that Duckworth was also out in the district attending community meetings, going to forums, events, etc. I just went to Duckworth's web site and under 'Happenings' all that is listed is her campaign announcement and the address of her campaign headquarters. I'd at least like to see that she is advertising events that she has set up or forums she is attending. Maybe someone can tell me if that is happening or not. I really hope she is because if she does win in the primary, this can definitely be used against her by Roskam in the general election campaign.

[riderinthestorm]

35. I thought Duckworth was attending candidates forums

Wasn't she at the one in Bartlett in January? I also know she's listed for the one in Winfield over President's Day. I'm planning on attending that one to meet her at that time.

I just got a phone message from her asking for support so at least her wheels are starting to turn.

I think Duckworth is getting off to a slow start but whoever the candidate is, they better start gaining speed fast. Roskam has signs everywhere already which worries me - his operation is savvy and he's not going to take any chances by slacking off. I believe he is already spending money, even without a primary challenger, which means the Dems need to be already out there.

[Gary Kleppe]

36. Forums

Duckworth has done some of them, but she's missed quite a few with no reason given.

[mopinko]

37. she is wandering off the reservation

when there are questions from the audience, it becomes clear that she does not understand the issues. i have heard that this is distressing the campaign. she needs one of those bush links.
she is trying to only appear where she can stick to the script.