Primary Foe: Gallegly’s Fundraising Is Lagging
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R), the off-again, on-again candidate for re-election who finally decided to stick around for one more term after previously announcing his retirement, has come under attack by his Republican primary opponent for a supposedly weak fundraising performance.
But an examination of Gallegly’s Federal Election Commission filing for the first quarter of this year shows him in a strong position, with $78,615 raised, $1.1 million in cash on hand, and no serious Democratic opponent should he, as expected, win the June 6 Republican primary.
Due to the confusion surrounding Gallegly’s status, attorney Michael Tenenbaum briefly looked to be the heir-apparent in the overwhelmingly Republican 24th district until the Congressman was prodded back into the race by GOP leaders.
Tenenbaum released a chart showing Gallegly was at the bottom in fundraising from March 10-31, compared to his fellow California Republicans running for re-election to the House. March 10 was California’s deadline to file for re-election, and Tenenbaum was attempting to draw the conclusion that support for Gallegly has been tepid since that day, when he retired in advance of unretiring less than a week later.
“No thoughtful contributor would support someone whose appeal is effectively, ‘Give to me so I can retire,’” Tenenbaum said in statement.
Tenenbaum campaign spokesman, Jim Prosser Jr., claimed his candidate’s fundraising numbers during the period March 10-31 were solid, but he said exact figures were unavailable.
Tenenbaum declared for the race a few days before California’s March 10 filing deadline and has until May 25 to file his first FEC report.
“The campaign is healthy, and there is more than enough money to conduct a campaign that educates fellow Republicans as to how they are being poorly represented,” Prosser said.
— David M. Drucker
Taylor: Preventing Another Underwear Bomber
March 19, 4:09 p.m.
The intelligence community faces challenges daily. No example is more emblematic of the problems faced than the so-called underwear bomber of 2009. As threats emerge, the hunt for “persons of interest” must occur in a more reliable and efficient manner because the consequences of inaction can be catastrophic. Read Full Article
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