With the launch of Browns early messaging campaign from his paid supporters came some rather strange talking points.
These talking points have been appearing in all their race assessments.
The only trouble is, they are talking points and not facts.
Perhaps the worst of them has been what a great fundraiser Sherrod Brown is, and how no other Dem could possibly hope to compete with him. How Brown has $3 million in the bank. Anoint him now.
If only his fundraising talents were really so prodigious.
It goes like this - Brown can raise all the money, Hackett hasn't proven he can and this race is going to cost $15 million.
So I took the time to check out Sherrod Browns money making machine and was quite surpised by what I found.
firstly, Jerome Armstrong claimed Brown had $3 million in the bank. Really ? Because if you check Browns current cash on hand he has less than $2 million. In fact he has $1,961,399. Still a nice number but no where near the claims that Browns paid supporters are putting out.
So this got me even more suspicious of their claims and I dug deeper. I compiled his cash on hand at the end of each of the election cycles since he has been in the house.
1992 - $8,920
1994 - $22,944
1996 - $391,076
1998 - $769,015
2000 - $1,105,021
2002 - $1,656,372
2004 - $2,102,835
2006 - $1,961,399
As you can see this prodigious fundraiser has only been able to add ~$500,000 each cycle to his war chest in in the last few cycles. His best years see him raise a little over $1 million (with half going out to expenses).
Brown is no prodigious Hilary Clinton here - he is frugal, saving his money each year. Adding to his war chest. He keep promising to run and fails to deliver.
If the best he has been able to do in all this time in the house is a million bucks, where is he going to get the other $14 million from in the next 12 months? I'd like to see his paid supporters explain that.
I went back even further and took a look at his last failed statewide race - see if that was any different. Nope. He only raised just under a million then too in 1990 - $951,937.10 to be precise.
Finally, I took a look at Hacketts ability to raise money quickly. He had a very short period of time in a special election, without any previous fundraising history to fall back on. In those few short weeks he inspired enough organizations and people to amass $848,636 - almost as much as Brown has been able to raise in his best 2 year cycle.
these are the cold hard numbers. These are the facts. Browns paid supporters are not being honest.
their entire house of cards talking points have been discredited and they attempted to perform an early coup-de-tat on the viability of Paul Hackett for Senate.
This attempt has failed and they should now begin more honest campaigning for their candidate based upon his merits not some mysterious fundraising ability he doesnt have, not some double super secret statewide organization no one in the state has seen and not "everyone loves Brown" rhetoric that doesnt hold up to the light of day.
It is very obvious why they felt the need to do this. They realize how formidable Paul Hackett as a candidate is - and I can gaurantee you - DeWine has recognized that too.