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But he still faces a Democratic incumbent – Rep. Travis Childers of Booneville – with $903,469 in the bank.
Morgan Baldwin, a Nunnelee political adviser, said Wednesday that the Tupelo state senator and businessman outraised Childers, during the April-June quarter.
“Nunnelee posted strong results, raising $312,000 for the fall,” Baldwin said in an e-mail.
Childers’ campaign reports raising $276,947 during the three-month period, bringing his total contributions to $1.3 million.
With Nunnelee’s new numbers, his total contributions come to $884,825.
Childers and Nunnelee face off on the Nov. 2 general election ballot with seven other independent and non-mainstream party nominees for the 1st District seat.
Regardless, Nunnelee has a lot of financial ground to cover if he wants to catch up with Childers, who’s seeking his second two-year term after winning a special election and a general election in 2008.
Baldwin reports Nunnelee has $233,205 in the bank, or a little more than 25 percent of Childers’ war chest. Nunnelee had to spend campaign funds in the recent three-candidate Republican primary, while Childers had no Democratic opposition.
In political circles cash on hand is considered at least as important as total donations because it’s what the campaign has left to work with.
But Baldwin makes a distinction, saying he thinks it’s “amazing” that Nunnelee has raised most of his money from individuals in Mississippi, rather than Washington political action committees.
A Childers campaign statement, in turn, cited recent endorsements from the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life and recognition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as momentum-builders for the incumbent.
Full campaign finance reports for May-June will be filed today with the Federal Election Commission.
Childers’ May 20 pre-primary report to the FEC showed his campaign with $704,886 cash on hand and total contributions at $1.1 million.
Nunnelee, who was in a heated primary for the GOP nomination, reported May 20 that his campaign had $153,958 cash after $642,967 total contributions.
Contact Patsy R. Brumfield at (662) 678-1596 or patsy.brumfield@djournal.com.
This election, I will be going back to see exactly how each candidate dealt with problems, how they respond to the concerns of their constituents etc when I vote.