Campaign cash piling up for Reid
Incumbent Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., raised more than $2 million in three months to add to a campaign fundraising haul of more than $12 million, according to records obtained Tuesday.
Reid, who is behind in the polls, plans to raise as much as $25 million to hold onto the U.S. Senate seat, which he first took in 1986.
"More than a year out from the election, our campaign continues to build momentum and get stronger each day," Reid said.
According to documents the campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission, from July 1 to Sept. 30 Reid had $8.7 million in cash on hand.
Reid is raising much more money than his potential Republican challengers.
Las Vegas businessman Danny Tarkanian, who announced his bid Aug. 21, raised $271,331 from 6,780 donors.
"We're not really comparing ourselves to Reid right now. We have our own internal goals," Tarkanian consultant Jamie Fisfis said.
Former GOP official Sue Lowden didn't announce her candidacy until Oct. 1, and her first reporting date isn't until January.
Investment banker John Chachas has raised about $1.4 million. He contributed about $1 million to that total.
Reid trails Lowden and Tarkanian in the polls. In a recent survey of Nevadans by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, 49 percent of respondents chose Lowden compared with 39 percent for Reid in one general election scenario.
In another, 48 percent chose Tarkanian compared with 43 percent who chose Reid.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
