June 20, 2012 01:00 AM UTC

Tracy Kraft-Tharp Eclipses Ramirez's 2010 Fundraising and It's Only June

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• by: JeffcoWgirl

Democratic challenger Tracy Kraft-Tharp has blown incumbent Representative Robert Ramirez (R-29) out of the water in fundraising, surpassing the incumbent’s 2010 fundraising total with more than four months left to go in the campaign. Keep in mind that Ramirez unseated a Democratic incumbent, Debbie Benefield, in 2010. If Kraft-Tharp has already raised more than Ramirez needed to win against an incumbent in the last election cycle, could anything short of an act of God keep Ramirez in his seat for 2012?

The press release just gets uglier for the Ramirez campaign:

In just the latest two-week reporting period, Kraft-Tharp more than quintupled the $1,038 Ramirez raised over the same period with over $5,000 raised. Kraft-Tharp also has more than a two-to-one cash on hand advantage.

With a fragile one-seat House majority, Republicans should be sweating bullets. In her first campaign, newcomer Kraft-Tharp has already drawn rave reviews and big endorsements. Her respectable cash flow is a symptom of her success, not its root, as anyone who’s seen Tracy canvass can testify.

I’ve volunteered for most of the Democrats running in Jeffco, and Kraft-Tharp is especially impressive in nearly every area important for electoral success. She connects at the door; she works hard; she makes the right hiring decisions for her campaign; she thinks before she speaks; and she makes anyone who gets involved with her campaign feel truly appreciated and heard. The ability to convey a sense of ownership in a political campaign to hundreds of supporters is something that can’t be bought or taught.

Call those interest groups and issue committees, Republicans, because if you don’t stop Tracy Kraft-Tharp in this campaign, you’re going to have  another Perlmutter on your hands: A popular incumbent who knows everyone in their district and dismantles one of your “rising stars” every two years like clockwork.