Great news from the Byrne campaign...eliminating the one major advantage Connolly was supposed to have.
Byrne Outraises Connolly and has More Cash on Hand: Momentum Continues to Favor Byrne in VA-11Fairfax, VA- Despite Gerry Connolly's close ties to wealthy developers and corporate interests, former congresswoman and Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia's 11th congressional district, Leslie Byrne, outraised Connolly and eliminated his cash on hand advantage in the latest fundraising period from 04/01/2008 through 05/21/2008.
Byrne for Congress reported over $182,000 in contributions for the fundraising period, and has over $286,000 cash on hand. Connolly, her opponent and the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, reported just over $152,000 and $280,000, respectively, for the same period.
Byrne's lead in fundraising totals are just the most recent blow to Connolly; in the past two weeks the campaign has suffered a round of bad press. Just yesterday the Washington Post reported that Connolly and SAIC may have engaged in soliciting illegal corporate donations. A week ago questions were raised in the Washington Post about Connolly's employment with SAIC. And a recent poll showed Byrne running neck and neck with Connolly, contradicting his claims of a 20-point advantage.
Byrne has been able to tap into the desire for change and real leadership in Virginia's 11th congressional district. Her strong showing of financial support is just further evidence of Byrne's substantial, and increasing, grassroots support in the Democratic primary.
"The momentum continues to favor Byrne in this race," said Joe Fox, Byrne's campaign manager. "We're raising more money, we've got the support of grassroots Democrats and the progressive netroots, and the endorsement of five current members of Congress. It's clear that Leslie Byrne is the best choice for Democrats eager to win this seat back in November."
Leslie Byrne been endorsed by four members of the Out of Iraq Caucus; caucus co-founder Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). She has also been endorsed by Senator Jim Webb, giving her a total of five endorsements from current members of Congress.
http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureS...
I could not find Gerry's report on the site dated May 21. 2008. Leslie's is as of May 21, 2008.
Then I compared Leslie's and Gerry's reports. I didn't notice anything unusual or even suprising. The totals are what has already been reported. (And not suprisingly, at least to me, was the fact that there weren't many SAIC individuals listed as contributors to Gerry's campaign.)
What really got my attention, though, was the stark difference between the two in terms of NUMBER of individual contributors: The number of Leslie's contributors was more than twice the number of Gerry's contributors, which could well translate into twice as many Byrne Brigade Boots on the Ground volunteers working hard for her. My unscientific analysis may not mean much, partly because I have no knowledge of how many volunteers Gerry has working for him, but it did strike me as at least relevant. With what is likely to be a very low turnout (the large majority of 11th CD voters don't even know there is a primary election) it would seem logical that the candidate with the most volunteers getting out the vote should have a significant advantage, particulary IVO the fact that the press is totally consumed with the Pres. race.
This is one of the most interesting primaries I've ever seen, the Webb-Miller primary having been the most interesting in my lifetime.
Get ready for the election night parties ! This is the first really big step toward Turning Virginia Blue (again) It was blue back in the dark ages when I was a young man.
T.C.