Campaign Notebook: Making It Official

It’s official:  That’s two fundraising quarters in a row in which DFL Senate candidate Al Franken has outraised incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.  Today Franken’s campaign announced his third-quarter fundraising take — about $1.9 million — and Norm Coleman’s campaign revealed a number about two hundred thousand dollars less, which included the take from a fundraiser headlined by President George W. Bush.  The Republican Party was quick to respond, through various channels, calling attention to Franken’s low approval rating and high burn rate.

Asked about the campaign’s spending rate, Franken campaign staffer Andy Barr told me “it’s not for lavish parties and i can tell you first-hand we’re not overpaying the staff — we’re investing it right back into the campaign — building a donor base and a volunteer base and an activist base.”

Fellow DFL candidate Mike Ciresi is expected to announce his preliminary Q3 fundraising totals soon.  Expect a press release from the DFL following that announcement detailing just how much more was donated to DFL candidates than to Norm Coleman.  Expect the same back-and-forth dance in January.  Politics of money — gotta love it.

Staying in the vein of this post’s title:  it’s official:  Steve Sarvi has filed paperwork to challenge John Kline in Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district.  Jeff Fecke has the details on the press release Sarvi issued today. 

If he can assemble a solid campaign structure, Sarvi’s background as an Iraq veteran and public servant may help inoculate him against the character attacks that have become a hallmark of Kline campaigns.  Kline leans heavily on his military background for political capital, but two veterans — one a Bush Administration stalwart, the other opposed to this administration’s foreign policy — could make for very interesting debate.