New Hampshire Governor’s Race Fundraising Numbers

 The fund-raising numbers are out from the campaigns of both Governor John Lynch and his challenger, Republican Joe Kenney, and it isn’t pretty. I suppose I will share with you the dismal news.

The New Hampshire for John Lynch ’08 Committee reported taking in $1,232,088 to date, compared to the GOP hopeful, state Sen. Joseph Kenney, who raised $85,655.

Lynch’s campaign has spent $542,761 compared to $56,355 that Kenney has spent.

The end result is that Lynch, seeking a third two-year term, has more than $689,000 still left to spend while Kenney has $29,300.

 I suppose if you are looking for a silver lining John Lynch hasn’t raised as much money in this campaign as he did in the last, but I find no (audacity of) hope in that.

 Joe Kenney and his staff are trying to spin this in two different ways, here is the first angle:

Kenney campaign manager Casey Crane said her candidate’s totals are low because he is still introducing himself to voters.

 It is not a good sign when you are a candidate and you are still out there trying to get your name recognized and nobody knows who you are. This is dismal, as are the poll numbers I saw last week that had Lynch ahead by something like 67-17%. I am sorry I don’t remember the exact numbers I saw, but I erased them from my memory because they were too depressing.

 The other angle that the Kenney campaign is spinning is as follows:

Primaries in smaller state contests will soon end, freeing up money and campaign workers for Kenney

 People are focusing on the September 9th primaries and that is why his fund-raising numbers are so low, but just wait until the primaries are over and then the cash will flow in. I don’t buy it, this is going to be another down year for Republicans in this state unless for some reason John McCain energizes New Hampshire Republicans to get to the polls. And I don’t see that happening.