| It would be expected for Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has been in the U.S. Senate since 1993, to raise a significant amount of money from Washington, D.C. for her gubernatorial campaign. However, Rick Perry -- the guy who cannot go one speech without blaming all of Texas' problems on "Washington" -- actually raised more money from Washington than Hutchison did in 2009. From Jason Embry's First Reading: Kate Alexander, the Statesman’s data guru, ran some numbers and found that, in the second half of 2009, Perry raised $37,500 in Washington, while Hutchison raised $19,900. For all of 2009, Hutchison raised $45,165 from Washington and Perry raised $38,225. (As a sitting governor, Perry was barred from raising money for almost all of the first half of 2009 because of the legislative session.)
Embry notes that Hutchison transfered $600,000 from her senate account and so, if that amount is included, she likely did raise more from Washington in 2009. There should be no surprise that national Republicans are taking a financial interest in a primary that is billing billed as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. What is slightly surprising is that Perry leads Hutchison in fundraising in a city that she has spent more than fifteen years working in. |
