Cash Collected, Spent, Left, & Owed
There's a fair amount of grumbling out there about whether reporters spend enough time... or way too much... reporting on campaign fundraising by candidates and interest groups. Some think it's extremely important to know who's donating, and how much is being spent. Others say it's part of the horse race mentality that political reporters favor, instead of substantive coverage of the issues.
So, as a possible middle ground, here's a brief snapshot of data from the campaign bank accounts most watched this season, data that is complete through October 21:
Arnold Schwarzenegger: $6.9 million raised in the first 20 days of October, $38.2 million for the year, and about $1.1 million left in the bank.
Phil Angelides: $2.3 million raised in the first 20 days of this month, $18.45 million for the year, spent about $36 million so far in 2006, about $1 million left in the bank
Proposition 86: Supporters have raised $13.1 million for the year through October 21 and spent about $13.5 million. Opponents have raised (through two committees) about $58.6 million, and spent about $58 million in the same time period.
Proposition 87: Supporters have raised about $47 million and spent about $47.3 million since January 1, and had about $1 million in the bank as of October 21. Opponents have raised $74.6 million, and spent about $66 million in the same time period, with $9.2 million left in the bank.
