Rothenberg Report slags Sarvi campaign

Beltway pundit Stuart Rothenberg takes a shot at Steve Sarvi’s campaign in his most recent analysis of the 2008 House races. In a column headlined "For House Races Now, It’s All a Question of Money," Rothenberg singles out three Democratic challengers for lackluster fundraising figures. His take on the Sarvi campaign is quite brutal:

I’ve heard a bit of a buzz recently about Democrat Steve Sarvi’s challenge to Rep. John Kline in Minnesota’s 2nd district. After seeing that Sarvi raised $147,000 in the second quarter and ended June with $98,000 in the bank, I have to figure that buzz is the winding down of the battery in the Democrat’s electric razor rather than excitement about his prospects.

Incredibly, Sarvi’s campaign is bragging about the numbers. Here’s what the candidate’s Web site said: “The campaign’s 2nd Quarter numbers represent nearly a two-and-a-half fold increase on its previous quarter and a three-fold increase on its 4th Quarter 2007 results.” Translation: The campaign’s unimpressive second-quarter numbers weren’t as bad as its pathetic first-quarter numbers and its even worse fourth-quarter of 2007 numbers.

While such an assessment might mean nothing to voters in Minnesota, it will shape the conventional thinking in Washington. Which means Sarvi’s prospects of getting significant help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other national groups are grim.