Pawlenty Raises $4.2 Million
Time TBA—Hitting the Airwaves: Here’s one milestone we can’t write on a calendar just yet: The date the first campaign ad will air. Romney began airing ads as early as February 2007 for the November 2008 election. A smart campaign is built on strategy rather than quick reactions, but once the first shot is fired there’s no telling where the ad war might lead.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will report raising $4.2 million in the past three months, a total that will raise concerns about his status as a front-running presidential contender.
Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant confirmed the haul, which was first reported by the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza.
"Gov. Pawlenty will report that his campaign has raised about $4.2 million, and begins the third quarter with more available cash-on-hand than the Republicans who won the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary had in July 2007," Conant said in an email.
Left unsaid, of course, is that the two contenders to whom Pawlenty's team has compared themselves -- Mike Huckabee, the winner of the Iowa caucuses, and John McCain, who won New Hampshire -- had their own problems. Huckabee was a perpetually weak fundraiser who campaigned largely on the strength of his grassroots appeal, and McCain's second quarter total came just as his campaign nearly imploded.
Despite the rosy outlook, Pawlenty will face serious questions about a candidacy that has already been facing troubles. Pawlenty has taken heat for dodging an opportunity to attack front-runner Mitt Romney in a debate in New Hampshire last month, and his stagnant poll numbers are low for a candidate who's been on the campaign trail for more than a year.
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