Bennet Raising Big Money for DSCC

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by: Colorado Pols

It came as little surprise when Sen. Michael Bennet confirmed in December that he would take over as Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for the 2014 election cycle. Bennet had withstood entreaties to run the DSCC for the 2012 cycle, which he could reasonably avoid after having just finished a brutal 2010 election of his own, but this is one of those "requests" that you really can't continue to refuse if you want the Majority leadership to actually consider your interests for key Senate committee assignments.

If you're wondering why Senate Democrats wanted Bennet to Chair the DSCC, it comes down to one word: fundraising. Bennet is pretty damn good at raising money, and as the Denver Post explains, the DSCC just set a new fundraising record for the first quarter of the year:

The fundraising arm for the Senate Democrats, headed by Sen. Michael Bennet, has raised more money in the first quarter of 2013 than at any other time in the committee's history, according to documents obtained by The Denver Post.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — which exists primarily to keep and gain Democratic seats in the U.S. Senate — raised $5.3 million in March and has brought in $13.6 million in 2013 alone, according to documents the committee will file with the Federal Elections Commission on Monday…

…While it's still early in the 2014 election cycle, Senate Democrats are far out-raising the similar fundraising arm of the Senate Republicans. In the first quarter, Republicans raised $6.8 million, compared with the $13.6 million brought in by the Dems.The Republicans reported raising $3.2 million in March.

Senate Democrats have their work cut out for them when it comes to keeping the majority in 2014, and Bennet will play a significant role in the outcome. We have no doubt that being Chair of the DSCC is a pain-in-the-ass, but a successful 2014 would ensure Bennet a position near the top of the Senate Democratic ladder and would certainly give him a nice head-start into his own re-election efforts in 2016.

9 thoughts on “Bennet Raising Big Money for DSCC”

ArapaGOP says:

April 22, 2013 at 12:54 pm

When Republicans raise big money, we are "selling out to big corporations."

When Democrats raise big money, they are "pretty damn good at raising money."

More often than not, we are all raising money from the same corporations.

What is with the double standard, Pols?

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1. DavidThi808 says:
  
  April 22, 2013 at 2:27 pm
  
  I'll agree with you on this one. Bennet is a wholely owned subsidiary of Wall St. (and anyone else writing a large enough check). But there does remain a difference between someone who will lean moderate when his corporate owners allow it and someone who will lean conservative when his corporate owners allow it.
  
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2. Colorado Pols says:
  
  April 22, 2013 at 3:28 pm
  
  What double standard? Colorado Pols is about politics — the horse-race aspect of our political system. We don't pick apart fundraising reports and assign moral values. Besides, at the Campaign Committee level like this, both parties probably have many of the same donors.
  
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  1. BlueCat says:
    
    April 22, 2013 at 7:42 pm
    
    ArapG always confidently assigns positions to librulsa (anyone not far wacko rightie) based on nothing. He's also always constantly surprised when non-wacko righties don't do the Borg thing. He must get dizzy bouncing back and forth between confident certainty and stunned confusion.
    
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3. Davie says:
  
  April 22, 2013 at 3:40 pm
  
  Corporations sending big checks in response to email pleas? I don't think so:
  
  The bulk of the committee's growth in cash comes from its targeted e-mail outreach similar, in part, to President Barack Obama's grassroots campaign efforts, staffers say.
  
  The committee is micro-targeting donors — women and young people, for example — with messages about Congressional Republicans and issues these particular groups care about, like federal student loans, abortion rights, immigration reform and the DREAM Act.
  
  Read more: Democratic fundraising committee sets record under Sen. Bennet – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23076546/democratic-fundraising-committee-sets-record-under-sen-bennet#ixzz2REMduEKY
  Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
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  1. DavidThi808 says:
    
    April 22, 2013 at 4:17 pm
    
    5.6 million digital (which is good). 8 million the old way. The problem though is the ones who get attention from Bennet and the other Dem senators are the ones that bring in tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. They're the ones Bennet is on the phone with. They're the ones who's concerns are in front of the Senators.
    
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    1. Davie says:
      
      April 22, 2013 at 4:48 pm
      
      I didn't see the breakout regarding email vs. dialing for dollars. All I saw was $5.3 million in March, and $8.3 in Jan/Feb from all sources, the bulk of which was via email according to the article.
      
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      1. DavidThi808 says:
        
        April 22, 2013 at 9:00 pm
        
        I pulled it from this (assuming "this year" is the same as 1st quarter for the reporting period):
        
        In 2009, the DSCC generated $1.4 million from "digital donors." That jumped to $5.6 million this year.
        
        While it's still early in the 2014 election cycle, Senate Democrats are far out-raising the similar fundraising arm of the Senate Republicans.
        
        In the first quarter, Republicans raised $6.8 million, compared with the $13.6 million brought in by the Dems.
        
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Duke Cox says:

April 22, 2013 at 3:27 pm

While I am not likely to vote against Bennet in a general election (unless Buddy Roemer moves to Colorado and runs against him). I have very little respect for Thurston Bennet III. If his voting record didn't exhibit an undying fealty to Jamie Dimon and the Lords of Wall Street, I might be able to vote for him without reservation…as it is, I have to hold my nose to vote for the well-monied Senator Bennet.

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