The Himes campaign has shattered the 300K goal set by the DCCC. According to a press release from the campaign he managed to raise this amount in only 10 1/2 weeks of fund raising. Additionally more than 600 volunteers have signed on to help the campaign via Himes’ official site.
A couple of months ago local Republicans couldn’t even be bothered to name Jim as an opponent during the Prescott Bush dinner. Healy made a rather snide remark about Ned Lamont or Ted Kennedy Jr. running. Starting today I bet they take Jim Himes more seriously.
Update by Gabe.
To put this number in context, 2nd CD Republican Challenger Sean Sullivan raised about $30,000 in an effort to unseat an incumbent that won by 82 votes (5th CD Republican Challenger David Cappiello has raised somewhere between 82 cents and 4.5 billion dollars – believe rumors at your own risk) and 2006 netroots darling Democrat Darcy Burner raised about $200,000 (h/t to tparty via email).
This number is staggering for a congressional challenger 18 months out from the election – and its the most that has ever been raised against Shays in a similar quarter. It is likely that Himes has out-raised all other Democratic challengers for the quarter.
Here are the takeaways: There is no chance that there will be a primary for the Democratic nomination. Shays is in serious trouble. Jim Himes can raise money. Peter Urban doesn’t know the meaning of the word “embargo”. The 4th has the potential to be the most interesting race in the country next fall. Expect the DCCC to smell blood in the water and jump in with both feet. Expect the RNCC to smell blood in the water and jump in to rehabilitate.
21 responses so far ↓
[quote post="724"]Peter Urban doesn’t know the meaning of the word “embargo”[/quote]
Yeah! Booooooo!
These numbers are eye-popping. I think a lot of people weren’t taking Himes all that seriously. But the numbers mean that both the media and the DCCC will sit up and take notice.
Wow. And Gabe, you’re right to compare him to Sullivan. He has been out there just as long, but his numbers are very poor indeed. Shays is in trouble. Courtney probably isn’t.
Sorry about the formatting difficulties if you peeked in in the last five minutes – should be fixed now!
Oh-my-fracking-god!
Has this been confirmed? I find it unbelievable, but if so, no wonder the Himes camp played things so close to their vest.
It’ll be interesting to see if Cappiello/Johnson can come close to this probably unbeatable number.
This has, in fact, been confirmed.
This is very impressive and good for Himes. He will lead all challengers in money, and he has a lot of momentum. Shays should be getting worried as his race will get national coverage, along with the fifth, and Courtney will probably cruise to re-election.
DP–
“lead all challengers”?
You mean just here in CT. The $352K is awesome, but it can’t be the best in the country. Aren’t there like 10-15 other candidates raising more than $250K?
Or is it just Cappiello and Himes? So cool that CT will once again be getting national attention!
No, the entire country may be right. Of course, not all the numbers are in yet, but 352k may stand up.
Also, its just Himes, Cappiello has not released his numbers yet.
Oh no not the country, I meant here in CT. However, they are very good, so who knows maybe it will be throughout the country. I doubt it, but he did a very good job, and probably could gain the most momentum out of this than any other candidate. Cappiello’s numbers are said to be good, but not near this at all, he could gain momentum though because they may be viewed at in a good way. I agree that it’s great CT will gain more national attention.
Traditionally, when do incumbent congressmen announce their retirement?
I mean… is Shays officially in? Do these guys get reelected then “go thru the motions” of raising money regardless of their true intentions?
If Himes raises enough, is it possible that Shays takes that into consideration and simply retires?
I’ll be interested to see what Shays raised myself…
Although the figure is the largest in the state, it will certainly rank amongst the highest in the country as well. Last fall’s Shays/Farrell campaign was the 9th most expensive, and probably ranked higher if all the RNCC soft money is included.
Of course, Shays’ buddy Karl Rove will pull out all the stops once again to save his seat for the Republicans. Recall that in the illegal meetings that Rove held in various federal agencies, Shays was listed as #6 on Rove’s list of Republican congressmen that Rove especially wanted to protect.
This line in Peter Urban’s article was curiously gentle on Chris Shays: “Many Democrats believe Shays won after he softened his support for the Iraq war.” “Softened”? Shays came out two weeks after Ned Lamont’s stunning victory over Lieberman and declared that he supported a firm timeline for withdrawal of our forces, and, as quoted in the Washington Post (August 25, 2006), he said that most of our troops could be withdrawn in 2007. I’d say that certainly qualifies as “softening” his support for the war. But what Mr. Urban didn’t say, but what Jim Himes will remind voters constantly, is that Shays completely reversed himself once the election was safely behind him. Timelines? He voted against a timeline that would have stretched the troop withdrawal well into 2008. Despite his stated support for withdrawing most of our troops in 2007, just weeks after the election, he turned around and voted for Bush’s escalation of the war. Although he declared his support for the ISG’s recommendations, which included a timeline for withdrawing combat troops by March 2008; then he reversed himself and voted against that timeline.
In short, Chris Shays lied through his teeth to the voters of this district. And he pulled out a slew of dirty tricks to get himself elected last year. Remember the sleazy “Coffee Talk With the Taliban?” flier sent out on his behalf by the Republican Party?
His credibility is nil. Peter Urban might want to soft peddle Shays’ “softening on the war,” but the voters are going to hold Shays accountable for his lies.
The money raised here has to put in context of the incomes of the district. The average income in the 4th CD is one of the highest in the nation so it seems reasonable cmapaign cash would be up there too.
And Shays never lied but his friend Joe Liberman, the Democrat, did lie and is still lying today with the full support of his Democratic colleagues in the US Senate not to mention the CT Donkey establishment.
Chris Shays is officially in. Filed Statement of Candidacy in January of this year with FEC.
How many visits has shaky Shays made to Iraq? A friend told me 17 or 18! And he still hasn’t figured out if he’s for timelines and a phased withdrawl.
Try and ask Shays any direct question, and watch as the slipperyness begins. All his responses attempt to examine the question from both sides, only he never says which side he’s on!
[quote comment="15395"]The money raised here has to put in context of the incomes of the district. The average income in the 4th CD is one of the highest in the nation so it seems reasonable cmapaign cash would be up there too.
And Shays never lied but his friend Joe Liberman, the Democrat, did lie and is still lying today with the full support of his Democratic colleagues in the US Senate not to mention the CT Donkey establishment.[/quote]
Actually, before Diane Farrell challenged Shays, Stephanie Sanchez only raised and spent about $100k in each of her two challenges to Shays, and Shays raised something a bit in excess $1 mn. So the figures ballooned by multiples the past two elections.
Regarding lying, if you state that you favor a hard timeline for withdrawal and that most of our troops could be withdrawn during 2007, then you turn around and state that you will only support a timeline if proposed by George Bush, who has stated clearly that he will not set a timeline, you’ve lied. If you say you support the ISG recommendations, the centerpiece of which is the withdrawal of our combat troops by Q1 2008, then you vote against an even longer-term timeline for withdrawal, you’ve lied. If you tell the voters of this district that you are even more anti-war than your opponent, then turn around and vote for George Bush’s escalation of the war, you’ve lied.
Clearly Mr. Shays will try to split hairs in an attempt to try to wiggle out of his lies, but sensible people in this part of Connecticut, which includes most of the people here, just won’t let him get away with it.
He knows what he did. In 2008, he’ll be held accountable.
Hey CGG, nice picture!
Gee, what a great idea. Why didn’t the dems think of this before?
Run a rich, liberal, white guy from Greenwich with not much government experience.
Sounds like a winning recipe to me.
Oh, I think Mr. Himes will prove himself to be a pretty darn good politician by the time this thing is over. Certainly he’s off to a good start.
Hope everyone saw this article.
“When I introduced myself to the voters in the 4th (congressional) District, the question was, ‘Is this guy for real?’ ” Himes said. “I think this shows a lot of enthusiasm. It shows that this campaign is for real and we’ve got a good shot……”
Himes is a Rhodes Scholar who was educated at Harvard University and gave up an investment banking career at Goldman, Sachs & Co. to work for a New York City affordable housing nonprofit agency. Himes said a majority of his donations came from the 4th District, which includes Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport.
In addition to holding fundraisers for himself, Himes has been a regular at events for top Democrats this year. He attended big-ticket fundraisers for U.S. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., both of whom are seeking the party’s nomination for president.
“Doesn’t hurt,” Himes said of getting to know major party figures.”
Sounds like a pro to me, Dude.
[quote comment="15436"]Gee, what a great idea. Why didn’t the dems think of this before?
Run a rich, liberal, white guy from Greenwich with not much government experience.
Sounds like a winning recipe to me.[/quote]
I take it by this comment that you are not a supporter of Mayor Bloomberg, who is a very rich white guy who had absolutely no political experience before he ran for the mayoralty of the nation’s biggest city. Or perhaps you were opposed to Ronald Reagan, another rich white guy who ran for governor of the nation’s largest state with absolutely no political experience. Or, perhaps, you would have opposed George Bush’s run for governor of Texas, since he was, after all, just a rich white guy with absolutely no political experience. Or perhaps you opposed John Cornine’s run for U.S. senator from New Jersey, because he was only a rich white guy with zero political experience. Or, perhaps, you would have opposed Woodrow Wilson’s bid for the governorship of New Jersey since he was (a little?) rich, but had zero political experience.
There are rich white guys who’ve been great Americans- George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, John Hancock, Ben Franklin. Ned Lamont would certainly have proved a great American leader. He certainly understood how disastrous this war was becoming, a position shared by at least 70% of all Americans and an even greater percentage here in the Constitution State. And there have been rich Americans who have been complete duds- George W. Bush comes to mind.
And regarding the “liberal” part of the accusation, I’d remind you that strong Democrats like Jim Himes stand four square in the middle of the American electorate. Overwhelmingly, Americans oppose continued involvement in Iraq, they oppose Republicans’ management of the economy, decry the yawning chasm between rich and poor, and, yes, a plurality want to see George Bush impeached. And because the Democrats have captured the solid center, they were voted into power in the Congress, the Senate, and a majority of governorships just a few months ago.
So Republicans might like to cavil about solid Democrats like Jim Himes. But the electoral results belie the truth about voters’ sentiments. I believe that a Harvard graduate, a Rhodes scholar, a Goldman Sachs veteran who, by dint if his experience there, understands intimately how the global economic works and needs to work, a man fluent in Spanish who actually understands the outside world, a man who has tackled one of the most serious problems facing the state of Connecticut and its economy- the egregious lack of affordable housing, especially for young people with families just starting out on their careers- I think that man is going to beat Chris Shays. Himes is just too impressive and Shays’ reversal of his position on Iraq too crass for voters to make any other choice.
>>Overwhelmingly, Americans oppose continued involvement in Iraq,
As they did the Civil War – your point?
>>they oppose Republicans’ management of the economy,
No idea why…
Job Creation Continues – More Than 8.2 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
June 2007 Marks 46th Consecutive Month Of Job Growth
Real After-Tax Per Capita Personal Income Has Risen By 9.9 Percent – Nearly $3,000 Per Person – Since President Bush Took Office.
Real Wages Rose 1.1 Percent Over The 12 Months Ending In May. This is faster than the average rate during the 1990s, and it means an extra $729 in the past year for the typical family with two wage earners.
The Economy Has Now Experienced Over Five Years Of Uninterrupted Growth, Averaging 2.9 Percent A Year Since 2001. Real GDP grew a strong 3.1 percent in 2006.
Since The First Quarter Of 2001, Productivity Growth Has Averaged 2.8 Percent. This is well above average productivity growth in the 1990s, 1980s, and 1970s.
[quote comment="15450"]Real After-Tax Per Capita Personal Income Has Risen By 9.9 Percent – Nearly $3,000 Per Person – Since President Bush Took Office.[/quote]
ACR–
After tax income has gone up 9.9% since Bush took office. But inflation is up over 17.1%! (Inflation calculator here.)
So your average working American is considerably worse off!
Off course the richest of the rich have made out like bandits. I mean that you can trumpet the fact real wages have only risen 1.1%, when GDP and inflation have grown at 3%, says a great deal about your calculus and your morals.
Forget the worker bees, you suggest. The strength of America is measured by the wealth of the Ownership Society! Or so you and George W. Bush pretend!
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