(From the diaries. What's amazing about these numbers is that Pederson, who is independently wealthy, didn''t put a dime of his own money into the pot. He'll always have his own money to fall back on -- kos)
In order for the Democrats to even have a shot at retaking the Senate next year, they need to have as many competitive challenges to Republican-held seats as possible. An article today by the Phoenix Business Journal's Mike Sunnucks indicates that the Dems might have just done that in Arizona, where incumbent Republican Senator Jon Kyl won reelection in 2000 with close to 80 percent of the vote.
Valley real estate developer Jim Pederson and Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl raised a combined $1.6 million for their upcoming Senate contest during the third quarter, setting the stage for the most expensive race in state history [...[
Kyl raised $873,000 during the quarter and has $4.25 million on hand, according to his campaign.
Pederson has raised more than $723,000. That's significant amount, considering the Democratic shopping center developer officially launched his effort after Labor Day and the quarter ended Sept. 30.
None of the third quarter money is from Pederson himself, although he has been a large campaign contributor to Democratic Party causes in recent years.
The Hotline on Call adds a couple of important facts to the story.
More third quarter fundraising totals are trickling in. Ex-AZ Dem chair Jim Pederson said he raised more than 700K -- that's in less than three weeks. Most contributors gave less than $90, according to the campaign. (The wealthy Pederson expects to -- at some point -- write himself a check for more than $800K.) Incumbent Sen. John Kyl raised more than 800K through the quarter; he has a healthy $4.5M on hand. Observers expect the race to be among the most expensive in AZ history. [emphasis added]
Pollster John Zogby, commissioned by the Wall Street Journal, recently found the Kyl-Pederson race tightening to 51.4% to 42.3%. Although Kyl is above 50%, Pederson growing popularity and apparent fundraising prowess lead this blogger to believe that Arizona will hose one of the best Senate races of 2006.
for more campaign 2006 news, check out my blog at Basie.org
