Daily Santorum: Cash Rules
Today is the final day of the fundraising quarter, the first one in which most of the presidential candidates have been competing full-force. Mitt Romney is all but certain to lead the pack, with an advisor saying he expects to report between $15 million and $20 million -- plus another $10 million from an independent Super PAC dedicated to pumping his candidacy.
Rick Santorum cannot compete with that, but his fund-raising totals will be a key gauge of his candidacy. Santorum raised $28 million for his 2006 Pennsylvania Senate campaign, a race that broke state records for spending, so he knows how to dial for dollars. But that enthusiasm can wane over his four-plus years out of office, and social conservatives these days could be more fired up by Michele Bachmann or someone else.
The second quarter totals -- which are supposed to be filed to the Federal Elections Commission by July 15 but will likely leak out before then -- will be closely watched in the political world to see who can build a base of support to compete for the long haul in the primary campaign. During his relentless travels, Santorum often says the race isn't about money, and the hand-to-hand campaigning in small states like New Hampshire and Iowa levels the playing field. This is true, but someone has to pay for all those plane tickets. Santorum's early foray into radio advertising seems to suggest strength in his campaign coffers, but the dollar figures will tell us for sure. A big midsummer showing from Santorum or another candidate in the lower tiers of the race could propel them forward. (The public, meanwhile, is giving the field a giant "Meh.")
Few things can drive Republican fund-raising like appearances on Fox News, and thus last night Santorum talked the budget and foreign policy with his fave Fox host, Greta Van Susteren, and criticized Obama for giving "the most ugly, divisive press conference I think I've ever seen from a president. All he did was just pour acrimony onto what's going on here in Washington, D.C., offered no solutions other than just tax rich people."
This from a man who knows divisive when he sees it.
The Schedule: The Des Moines Register has the word that Santorum will be making a three-day, 10 city Iowa tour next week focused on manufacturing -- plus bonus undetermined July 4th apperances.