Fund-Raising Gap: "News Bleak For The Democratic Senate Candidate In Louisiana"
by JEFF ZELENY (excerpt)

NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — While Democrats were locked in an unseemly intramural squabble this week, bickering about whether they could lose control of the House in the fall, Republicans were unusually quiet. It turns out that they had a bigger task at hand: tabulating an impressive set of midyear fund-raising figures. In red states and blue states — nearly a dozen competitive Senate races in all — Republicans raised more money over the last three months than their Democratic challengers.

The news was so bleak for the Democratic Senate candidate in Louisiana, Representative Charlie Melancon, that his campaign waited until Thursday night to report that he raised $415,000, which is less than some aggressive House candidates raise. He ended July with $2.3 million in the bank, but not thanks to many fresh contributions.

(A)s Republicans work to win control of Congress, the less-than-stellar fund-raising by some Democratic candidates means that the party’s re-election committees will have to step in to lend a hand. But there is never enough money to go around, particularly in a year with so many competitive races, so party leaders must decide which candidates to prop up and which to cut loose. And the latest financial reports could provide a roadmap for how to proceed.