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July 14, 2010 05:02 PM UTC

Bennet Breaks Grassroots Fundraising Record, Only Candidate Ready for General

  • 71 Comments
  • by: CityParkRebel

Every reporting quarter, Michael Bennet has posted impressive fundraising totals that have gone unrivaled by any other candidate in the field.  Frequently, his haul has doubled or tripled that of his primary opponents (Republican and Democrat) and regularly has outpaced the combined total of all other candidates in the race.  

What’s most impressive is the figure that Bennet released this morning, according to the Denver Post:

the campaign has more than 20,000 donors, with three-quarters of them giving less than $200

This is a Colorado primary election record and proof positive that Bennet has been building a tremendous grassroots network along side his fundraising network.

Though money is important in a statewide race, a winning candidate must put up big numbers, combined with an aggressive field program, and an organized message.  Bennet seems to have the trifecta.

Some political consultants believe a winning Senate race for Colorado this year will require $12 to $15 million before the general election is through.

Bennet’s quarter is a nearly matches the combined total of both Republican candidates and his success with small dollar donors is a direct affront to Speaker Andrew Romanoff, whose rhetoric has previously claimed dominance over turf warfare.

Unless Romanoff is able to swing for the fence and post some huge numbers, at least $1 million, Bennet seems to be the most prepared for a serious challenge in the general election.

Let’s face it, this campaign is going to be played out on television — but Bennet’s army of grassroots support will certainly bolster his chances.  No other candidate comes close.

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71 thoughts on “Bennet Breaks Grassroots Fundraising Record, Only Candidate Ready for General”

  1. Bennet is able to match fundraising strength with grassroots strength.  The only candidate in the race to do so…

    If Democrats hope to have a chance at keeping this seat after November, he’s the guy to do it.  He has run a disciplined campaign against Romanoff who has gone negative at every turn.

    All signs point to Bennet

    1. Is that if he somehow won, he has been so relentlessly negative and his campaign / surrogates / supporters / shills / paid online hacks like Stryker have been so dishonest, negative, and hypocritical (just like Andrew) that I think most Bennet supporters would find it impossible to do anything more than vote him. Count myself in that camp.

      Dishonestly smearing a good man and a great senator like Bennet means you have zero integrity. I don’t think I’d be able to give to that (and he’d probably be a losing cause anyway, if he sticks to this money nonsense). I’d focus on Markey/Perlmutter instead.  

        1. ok Ray I’ll bite, and I’ll even give you a head start.  I’ll assume for the sake of argument that Rasmussen is a few points skewed right — so that still points Bennet losing…but wait! that would also put Romanoff beating Norton and statistically tied with Buck.

          So even if we do agree that Rass shows republicans stronger than democrats, how do you account for it showing Romanoff as the stronger candidate against either Republican?

      2. It shows Romanoff losing too.  To both Republicans.

        I don’t know how you can spin that into “competitive.”

        You would be better off just acknowledging that Rasmussen polls can’t be trusted.

        1. and doing better against Buck than Bennet.  If you want to say they have a few point republican bias, then Romanoff is beating Norton and tied with Buck.

            1. I think the point is very valid.  It already shows Romanoff statistically tied with Norton.

              If you disagree, please provide some counterpoint.

  2. Bennet has been really consistent, raising a good amount each quarter. If Andrew can’t cut into that, he’s toast.

    Even if he does manage to win the primary, it’s not like national dems could turn on a money spigot overnight and just make it happen.

    They might be able to drive a million dollars to the race but that won’t be nearly enough for what Romanoff will need, and he’s burned a lot of those folks anyway, so I doubt that when it comes to choosing which race to invest in, they’ll look too favorably on him.

    Candidates can get a boost from outside spending, but this year the DSCC will be outspent, and whoever we have needs to have the actual cash on hand to do their own response ads which are way more effective than a 3rd party response. I think Udall had like %15 million spent against him in 08. What’s Andrew’s honest plan to deal with that when he comes out of this primary completely broke?

    1. http://www.coloradostatesman.c…

      Romanoff went even further after his speech, telling The Colorado Statesman he plans to give the cold shoulder to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, if he wins the primary in August.

      In 2008, the DSCC spent $4.5 million on advertising aimed at taking Colorado’s open Senate seat. In the last weeks of the campaign, the DSCC pulled its spending to focus on more competitive races, confident then-U.S. Rep. Mark Udall would defeat his Republican challenger, former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer, which he did.

      Goooooood luck with that one Andrew…

      Seriously, dems, we can’t afford to let this guy win. Zero chance of holding the seat.

      1. when he won’t need it anyway since he’ll (AR) get killed in the primary.

        I wonder if he’s enjoying or just surviving the last 27 days of his political life?  😉

  3. I mean you got together your press release…I mean diary…and got each other to recommend.  Good to see the Bennet new media team made their coffee early.

    I like how you don’t mention that in the last full quarter prior to the primary Bennet actually raised less money than he did in Q1.  Support for the candidate slipping?

    Given that he can’t win the general election anyway, what’s the point?

    1. with your candidate. He was telling people over the weekend that automated polls are unreliable and aren’t giving an accurate picture of the race.  

        1. Agree 100 percent but Romanoff’s “no holds barred” campaign that is absent of ideas while overflowing with misplaced attacks and zingers is disturbing.  

          He needs to clean up his act.

          1. If the Bennet camp feels that talking about Bennet’s votes supporting BP, Banks, and other corporations that fund his campaign is negative, maybe he should…I don’t know…not vote for BP, Banks, and other corporations that fund his campaign?

              1. yeah let’s talk about votes.  Cramdown.  Too big to fail.  Tax breaks for BP.  

                Yeah Bennet has a record of voting for banks and the oil industry.  

                1. If you could explain Bennet’s reasons for those votes, and then dissect those those reasons, your opposition would seem more…effective? real?  useful?

                  But when you conclude that because he got a donation from an oil or gas company or executive that could be the only possible reason he voted to continue tax breaks for the industry, you seem …. unreal.

                  When you go on to claim it’s your guy or you are going to find a 3rd party candidate, you seem shilly.

                  *Cramdown and TBTF did not have the votes.

                  I really don’t understand the O&G tax thing – not that I think you do either.

                  1. Colorado gas companies. The Amendment being referred to, it wasn’t a bill, was too broad. So while it’s very effective to say he voted for BP, what he did was vote to protect local companies. Now whether you have an issue with local gas companies is another argument. It’s completely dishonest to keep saying he voted for BP.

                    3. I was at the HD 7 candidate forum last night and when I came out, there was a bit of AR propaganda on my car, which carefully highlighted in bright yellow that Sen. Bennet accepted money from BP and ConocoPhillips.  Of course, no mention of the donation to charity.  

                      AR is proving to be sleazier than I imagined–anything to have a shot in the primary.

                  2. saying “it didn’t have the votes” really isn’t a good response.  You know why it didn’t pass?  Stay with me here.

                    Because not enough people voted for it.  

                    You know who one of those people was?  Senator Bennet.  If Senator Bennet had voted for it, it would have been closer to passing.  

                    So yes — we need to get rid of Bennet for someone who will actually vote for democratic values.  Is he alone?  No — we need to get rid of Senators like Lieberman and Lincoln as well.  We made good progress in ditching Specter.  Now we just have a few more to take care of.

                    2. we ruin our chances of holding the majorities. I’m sure Romanoff knows that, being a DLC guy. The Blue Dogs, much as I dislike them, are what allow Dems to hold offices in Red leaning or Purple states. This is what allowed Romanoff to take the House…you know the record he keeps trying to bludgeon people with? It’s a double edged sword. He didn’t turn Colorado blue because he’s a huge progressive, he didn’t it because of his DLC ties. Just like Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson.

            2. Calling Bennet corrupt is pretty darn negative. Does Romanoff even have a message or policy idea or is it all zingers, soundbites, and baseless attacks?

  4. I know how he’s voted on the Senate Banking Committee and it’s enough to convince me that he’s a shill for Wall Street banks.  If he can win the primary, I might vote for him in November.  But for now I’ll keep the Romanoff sticker on my car.  Oh, yeah.  And I’m still waiting for “The Hero” to introduce that public option bill.

  5. and yet still fall behind Romanoff in the polls, and still not manage to get any yard signs up in Denver, then perhaps money donated to him is not money well spent.

    1. don’t see that Bennet can’t even manage to get a few signs up.  People in Colorado, however, seem to.  Note that Bennet’s fundraising went down this quarter.

      2. You know how much Bennet has raised from individual donors, not including PACs? Still about five times what Romanoff has raised. I’m not sure you’re making any sense.

    2. Oh noes!! The end is nigh, the horsemen approach: Repent and ye may find salvation.

      Seriously- you can’t get behind a candidate with too few yard signs?

  6. So how does Bennet raising all this money, which is less than he raised last quarter, make him invincible?  Last time I looked he is now trailing Buck by 9% in the polls.  For someone who has the advantage of incumbency he doesn’t look like he is doing very well.

        1. Ken Buck and the repubs don’t want to give up whatever juicy info you have just yet as it could knock Bennet out of the race in the primary.

          Like I keep saying — Romanoff takes Bennet out of the Republicans do.

          1. That is just how I sense things will work out. I think it is more likely than not that whoever was sending out an email with a price list for access did not do it one time and that they were not the only person who was doing it.

  7. BUT HE STILL LOST TO ANDREW ROMANOFF in the Colorado Democratic Caucus, County Assemblies (in all but 3) & massively lost in the CO State Democratic Assembly (in Broomfield,CO) to Romanoff.

    Andrew got Half Again as many CO Dem Votes as Bennet, all from rank and file Democrats at the State Assembly.

    Given that “appointed”,”never elected to anything” Michael Bennet had $7,000,000 just fall out of the sky, with big out of state contributions starting shortly after he took office, BUT BEFORE CO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS HAD A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW HIS POSITIONS ON ISSUES,

    You don’t think that shows us that his family friends and connections in Washington DC, where he was born and raised are behind his magic rise to the Senate, that his connections in DC are the source of all these Millions?

    Bennet will need all those millions because there may be very few Colorado Democratic Activists willing to campaign for him.

      1. The election will be a referendum on how Obama is doing for you.  Successful Dems in this cycle will need to be able to run against Obama.  Bennet can’t. Romanoff could, but won’t get through the primary.

        1. Look at Nevada and Kentucky. Latest polls show Democratic leads in both those races.

          The gop will pick up some seats this year, but the extreme right shift of the party already is not setting well with many independents.  

          1. The independent train has already left town and when I looked there weren’t any Dems on the train.  Your buddy Barack had something to do with that.

        1.  that if we have any chance of keeping the seat D, we’ll need both teams to unify and support the D nominee.

          I will. I’ve said so many, many times.

        2. Romanoff was down by 17 points in the Denver Post poll.  He needs some money to magically show up, 5 more Bennet staffers caught selling Bennet to the higher bidder and couple more Clinton type endorsements in the next few weeks.  Could happen, but a tall order.

          I do think he would be a better candidate in the general for the Dems.  But you and me thinking it isn’t enough to make it happen.

            2. the gop might have made big gains this year, but their extreme shift to the right will hurt in many races as new polls are already showing.

              Charlie Crist in Florida is a perfect example. gop will now lose this seat.

    2. Romanoff said he would campaign for Bennet and Bennet said he would support Romanoff.  Why wouldn’t you?

      We’re all still in the same cause. The differences between these two mean, which are tiny, are nothing compared to the alternative.  

      1. I know Senator Bennet wants everyone to think there aren’t any differences, but there are a good number of policy points on which they differ — they have been outlined over and over again.

        Where does Bennet say he would support Romanoff?  Cite? Link?

          1. I’ve heard this claim a few times and no one had produced it.  Thank you for doing so.

            That was a very interesting interview actually.

            1. I’ve really enjoyed the in depth interviews the Statesman has had with all 4 of the candidates. You just can’t get that from the MSM these days.  

            1. There was an unsupported claim and MoTR supported it.  I thanked MoTR.  This issue has been resolved.

              You make claims that aren’t true, and then it comes out that you were lying.  There is quite a difference.

              1. At which point you asserted I was a liar and an idiot.

                In your altermnative view, there is no room for error.  Errors are lies in you view.

                Whatever- it doesn’t matter now,  I’ve conceded-  you have convinced me.

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