Analysis: Most Neb. Senate money from out-of state
Posted: Thursday, August 07, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- In the battle for bucks in Nebraska's U.S. Senate race, both Republican Mike Johanns and Democrat Scott Kleeb have relied heavily on out-of-state contributions.
Johanns, the former U.S. agriculture secretary, is the clear fundraising leader in the race to replace retiring Republican Chuck Hagel.
Johanns brought in more than $2.7 million by June 30, according to the most-recent Federal Election Commission data. Kleeb, a Hastings history instructor, had more than $1 million.
In a political climate where many people think out-of-state equals out-of-touch, both campaigns insist their candidate has the stronger connection with everyday Nebraskans.
That raises the question: Which number best determines who's more in-touch with Nebraska voters?
If it's the number of individual donors, Kleeb wins: He has 4,700 to Johanns' 3,098. Also, 93 percent of all the money he's raised comes from individuals, versus 61 percent for Johanns.
But less than half the money from Kleeb's individual donors came from Nebraskans, so maybe the crown goes to Johanns, who boasts 64 percent of his individual total from state residents.
If you include all sources of donations, the geographic breakdown is similar for both candidates. Kleeb has 44 percent from Nebraska, to Johanns' 41 percent from Nebraska.
More of Johanns' donations than Kleeb's came from political action committees -- 39 percent to Kleeb's 6 percent. PACs typically represent business, labor or other ideological interests. They can give $5,000 to a candidate for each election, including both primary and general elections.
So what do all the numbers mean?
If you listen to the campaigns, "the vast majority of the resources we've raised are from the very same people that are going to be in the voting booth Nov. 4," said Johanns spokeswoman Sarah Pompei.
That's grass-roots support, Pompei says.
Kleeb said when he released his most recent fundraising totals: "I run my campaign as I hope to govern: by listening to the grass roots first, not the special interests."
The political truth: Johanns has been a figure in Nebraska politics for a long time -- as mayor of the state's second-largest city, Lincoln, and as governor of the state.
Businesses -- as well as individuals -- are more likely to support a candidate they know. And Republicans typically do better in fundraising from business. The list of Johanns' PAC donors includes Alltell Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., AT&T Inc., Conagra Foods Inc., Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., Union Pacific Corp. and Nelnet Inc.
Kleeb doesn't have those business connections, and his PAC money comes mostly from unions and political groups like Physicians for a Democratic Majority and Young Voter PAC.
In 2006, Kleeb lost the 3rd District House race to Republican Adrian Smith by 10 percentage points, but his effort won him national attention because the result was better than expected in the heavily Republican district.
Kleeb became popular with young Democrats who frequent blogs like Daily Kos. And that likely translated into out-of-state donations for this race.
ActBlue, a national conduit for online political donations, shows more than $390,000 raised for Kleeb. It doesn't break down the number raised from out-of-state.
The bottom line to keep in mind: Money doesn't equal victory in politics. In 2006, Nebraska saw the most expensive Senate race in state history. Incumbent Democrat Ben Nelson spent about $7 million to Republican Pete Ricketts' nearly $13 million. Nelson beat Ricketts with more than 60 percent of the vote.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Anna Jo Bratton covers Nebraska politics for The Associated Press.
On the Net:
Mike Johanns for Senate: http://www.mikejohanns2008.com
Scott Kleeb: http://www.scottkleeb.com
Johanns, the former U.S. agriculture secretary, is the clear fundraising leader in the race to replace retiring Republican Chuck Hagel.
Johanns brought in more than $2.7 million by June 30, according to the most-recent Federal Election Commission data. Kleeb, a Hastings history instructor, had more than $1 million.
In a political climate where many people think out-of-state equals out-of-touch, both campaigns insist their candidate has the stronger connection with everyday Nebraskans.
That raises the question: Which number best determines who's more in-touch with Nebraska voters?
If it's the number of individual donors, Kleeb wins: He has 4,700 to Johanns' 3,098. Also, 93 percent of all the money he's raised comes from individuals, versus 61 percent for Johanns.
But less than half the money from Kleeb's individual donors came from Nebraskans, so maybe the crown goes to Johanns, who boasts 64 percent of his individual total from state residents.
If you include all sources of donations, the geographic breakdown is similar for both candidates. Kleeb has 44 percent from Nebraska, to Johanns' 41 percent from Nebraska.
More of Johanns' donations than Kleeb's came from political action committees -- 39 percent to Kleeb's 6 percent. PACs typically represent business, labor or other ideological interests. They can give $5,000 to a candidate for each election, including both primary and general elections.
So what do all the numbers mean?
If you listen to the campaigns, "the vast majority of the resources we've raised are from the very same people that are going to be in the voting booth Nov. 4," said Johanns spokeswoman Sarah Pompei.
That's grass-roots support, Pompei says.
Kleeb said when he released his most recent fundraising totals: "I run my campaign as I hope to govern: by listening to the grass roots first, not the special interests."
The political truth: Johanns has been a figure in Nebraska politics for a long time -- as mayor of the state's second-largest city, Lincoln, and as governor of the state.
Businesses -- as well as individuals -- are more likely to support a candidate they know. And Republicans typically do better in fundraising from business. The list of Johanns' PAC donors includes Alltell Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., AT&T Inc., Conagra Foods Inc., Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., Union Pacific Corp. and Nelnet Inc.
Kleeb doesn't have those business connections, and his PAC money comes mostly from unions and political groups like Physicians for a Democratic Majority and Young Voter PAC.
In 2006, Kleeb lost the 3rd District House race to Republican Adrian Smith by 10 percentage points, but his effort won him national attention because the result was better than expected in the heavily Republican district.
Kleeb became popular with young Democrats who frequent blogs like Daily Kos. And that likely translated into out-of-state donations for this race.
ActBlue, a national conduit for online political donations, shows more than $390,000 raised for Kleeb. It doesn't break down the number raised from out-of-state.
The bottom line to keep in mind: Money doesn't equal victory in politics. In 2006, Nebraska saw the most expensive Senate race in state history. Incumbent Democrat Ben Nelson spent about $7 million to Republican Pete Ricketts' nearly $13 million. Nelson beat Ricketts with more than 60 percent of the vote.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Anna Jo Bratton covers Nebraska politics for The Associated Press.
On the Net:
Mike Johanns for Senate: http://www.mikejohanns2008.com
Scott Kleeb: http://www.scottkleeb.com
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