(cross posted at Bellwether Nation)
Today's Senate campaign news:
-Specter garners support from PA Jewish community
-Bunning's fundraising falls short
~Specter Sees Support from Jewish Community~
Arlen Specter, the only Republican Jewish member of the Senate (not counting Norm Coleman, who most likely will not return after the Minnesota election is settled), has garnered support from influential members of the Jewish community.
Specter's Jewish backers have arranged fundraisers for him, and plan on organizing efforts to ask Democrats in Pennsylvania to switch their party registration to back Specter in the Republican primary. With the upswing in Democratic registrations in Pennsylvania during the presidential election, such a strategy may be essential in Specter's campaign.
Many Republicans in Pennsylvania switched party registrations to vote in the hotly contested April 22nd primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and many have not switched back.
~Kentucky Senate Fundraising Numbers In~
Unpopular incumbent Senator Jim Bunning raised just $263,000 in the first quarter of 2009. Bunning had called his own fundraising efforts "lousy" recently. Bunning has under $400,000 cash-on-hand.
Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo released on Wednesday that he raised $429,552 in the first quarter. Mongiardo's only Democratic primary opponent so far, Attorney General Jack Conway, who only entered the race last week, did not raise any funds in the first quarter.