September 08, 2006 11:36 PM UTC

Not an Expensive Winter

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• by: Colorado Pols

Democrat Bill Winter at one point looked like a strong challenger to incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo in CD-6, but he hasn’t been able to raise the money to do much more than get a few active Democrats excited. We hear that Winter won’t have the money to go on TV with a real advertising buy, which should end any thoughts of a real challenge to Tancredo in 2006.

At the end of July, Winter had raised a total of about $355,000 but had only $110,000 in the bank. Fundraising in Q3 reportedly isn’t going too well, and if his spending pace continues, he won’t have much money at all very soon. Winter has admitted quietly that he might not be able to go on TV at all.

Winter’s reckless spending is indicative of a campaign that needed more discipline and more focus on fundraising (and fund saving) to have any hope of knocking off Tancredo. Winter is a strong public speaker, but he has suffered from the same general problem that plagued the candidacy of former U.S. Senate candidate Mike Miles. The charismatic Miles thought that people should just give him money because he spent a lot of time campaigning and because he worked hard. He didn’t have the discipline or the desire to be a serious fundraiser, which is why he never went from being beloved by a few to recognized by the many.

Winter has complained loudly that he isn’t getting enough financial support from donors, but raising money is hard work – and he didn’t do the work. Yet he still might have had enough money to make a decent showing on TV if his campaign had been more disciplined in its spending; if your candidate can’t raise money, then you had better be saving every last dime for television advertising.

In Winter’s defense, Tancredo was going to be a tough out for any candidate in 2006 because the popularity of the illegal immigration issue plays right into his hands. Winter is correct that there is a backlash against Tancredo, but like Joanna Conti before him, his campaign hasn’t grasped that a Tancredo dislike is only part of the formula for pulling the upset. Voters may not love Tancredo, but it doesn’t matter if they have absolutely no idea who Bill Winter is.

It’s not enough to be “not Tancredo,” which is why Tancredo should roll to another victory in November.