Posted: June 27, 2012 at 5:02 pm

In the Money Game, It’s Bullock, 7 to 1

Lost amid the hoopla over the Citizens United news yesterday was a small item about the kind of fundraising that does, and should, matter:  Steve Bullock is sitting on a nest egg of campaign cash that is almost seven times greater than that of his opponent.   Bullock has $776,000 in the bank, while his feeble Republican challenger, Rick Hill, has only $118,000

It’s not surprising given that Hill has just emerged from a bruising primary, in which he was assailed by his opponents has having “too much baggage.” He was accused, specifically, of:

- having dodged the Vietnam draft

- having enriched himself with state contracts, from his stint as a congressman

- having cashed in on his wife’s influence when she worked in the Governor’s office

- having screwed up the state work comp system

- having been the victim of a ponzi scheme,

- having been an insurance executive, and

- having porked a cocktail waitress while he was married

That’s quite a resume.  Hill had to spend down his war chest to combat these attacks, while Bullock had no meaningful primary challenge at all.  This has left Hill at a massive disadvantage as we enter the upcoming general election season.  Mind you, this is not corporate money; these are the hard-earned, smaller contributions that candidate’s raise by themselves, in increments from $5 to $600.

Some big, unregulated, out-of-state money will no doubt make its way into this race, more easily now that our sacred campaign corruption laws have been struck down by the five ignoramuses who call themselves “conservative justices.”

But one wonders whether the national GOP, and other national groups with fat corporate wallets, might not simply walk away from the Montana governor’s race, viewing it as an impossible project to rehabilitate a weak and battered candidate who is nearly broke.  Outside groups with large war chests have fifty states in which to spend money.  They rarely waste their time on candidates who do not do a good job raising money of their own.  It’s usually a bad bet.

Democrats out-raised Republicans in all the statewide races. Pam Bucy has raised $162,000 and has $27k in the bank.  Fox has raised $109, 000 and has $22k in the bank.   In the state auditor’s race, Monica Lindeen has $64,000 in bank while TEA Party Republican Derek Skees had about $6,500. For Superintendent of Public Instruction, Juneau has $92,000 in the bank.  Republican Sandy Welch has $20,000. In the Secretary of State race Linda McCulloch has $49,000 on hand while Brad Johnson has $3k.
Democrat Ed Smith has $4,300 left in the bank in his re-election campaign for Clerk of the Supreme Court. He has no opponent, since GOP Executive Director Bowen Greenwood failed in his write-in campaign attempt to garner enough votes to appear on the ballot this fall.

14 comments

  2. Rob Kailey

    As to whether out-of-state money will be spent to help these sad-sack candidates, it would be wise to review the words of <a href=http://mtcowgirl.com/2012/06/26/pro-ignorance-views-spell-trouble-for-hill-gop/#comment-58192Drunks for Denny below.

    Silly Democrats….everyone knows Republicans don’t care about OPI or public education.

    Republicans run for a seat on the Land Board.

    • Havre Voter

      So the question is, why would we elect people who have no interest in doing 95% of the work required by holding one of these offices in favor of someone who cares only about 5% of the job. To vote for such a person would be moronic.

  3. Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

    NO MORE FREE RIDES FOR THE TEANAZIS! These morons have worn out their welcome all around the country! Now, they must be challenged by IN YOUR FACE ATTITUDE on every ONE of the nonsenical bullshit arguments! I don’t give a RAT’S ASS if they call themselves “kristyeeans, patridioits, teatards, or whatEVER! From now on, no more free passes!

    We’ve nuthin’ left to lose! Get in some loser’s face! CHALLENGE their bullshit! Make’em PROVE their horsehit! It’s time!

    DO IT FOR JESUS! The nuns on the bus know the score. Hell, if THEY can do it, so can we!

  6. Norma Duffy AKA ILIKEWOODS

    Thats That Obamacare Upheld! Woot!

    The reform law, known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), seeks to expand health insurance coverage by requiring individuals to purchase it and requiring insurers to offer coverage to all comers. It in No Way effects people who already have coverage

    The Supreme Court rejected arguments that such a mandate on individuals is unconstitutional, ruling that the mandate is acceptable under Congress’s power to levy taxes. (Many people who fail to buy insurance would owe a fine – in effect a tax.)The fine is base on the ability to pay, so it works a lot like the medical clinic we have in Dillon already. This is a boon to struggling familys.

    The court also declined to strike down a portion of the law that would extend Medicaid to more low-income families, up to 1.33 times the current poverty level.

    This is truly a fair day for Americans In Montana! Woot I say Again Woot!

    • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

      As much as I dislike Obamacare, it’s a great day!, for it IS going to help a lot of folks who need help! And I’m OK with that. I wanted single payer, which we will have some day, like ALL the other countries in the world!

      So now, let mitch the bitch mcconnel, dopey reeburp, jojo the monkey boy, the big Kockhs, and ALL the other teatards attack it! They will simply dig themselves deeper into the nazi hole that they’ve dug for themselves!

      And I’m luvin’ it!

      So, here’s the deal. Remember how the nazis LUVED to show the video of the woman who said that she thought that O’Bama was going to help pay her rent? Well, HERE’S my challenge to America!

      Put O’Bama in one hand, and JAYSUS in the other. Now, WHICH one is gonna actually IMPROVE your freakin’ health care? Mitch the Bitch’s mythical Jaysus? Or O’Bama?!

      End of argument! The Teatards have played and OVERplayed the Jaysus factor! When the shit hits the fan (as it always does) the DEMS come through while the Pubbies promise only more Big Kockh and Holy Shit JAYSUS crappola!

      And Jojo monkey boy, you can TAKE THAT TO THE BANK, DUFUS! Come November, the Pubbies will be crying in there tea! True story, reetard! You CAN’T eat promises of Jaysus and the rapture! Nor will it get you into the hospital! Only O’BAMAcare will!