Senate foes going on road for money

Not that the quest for campaign cash ever slows, but now that summer is over, both U.S. Senate candidates are primed to travel this month to keep the dollars flowing into their high-cost showdown.

Sen. Harry Reid's campaign keeps his itinerary largely a secret, but Democrats in Texas let spill that he will be in San Antonio on Wednesday for several events. One is a money-raising venture for which details remained clouded. But the other is a free "meet and greet" for local officials, activists and Democratic volunteers.

Henry Cisneros, the former mayor and Clinton Cabinet member, heads the greeting list for the late afternoon event that will be held at the downtown headquarters of the Bexar County United Democrats.

Volunteer coordinator Elena Guajardo said an appearance by the Senate majority leader will energize the troops. The event "is about getting out the Democratic vote. It is past Labor Day. We only have so many days, so let's go," she said.

Reid also has set a Sept. 20 fundraiser at the home of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with donations to range from $1,000 to $10,000. The coupling already has garnered a fair bit of attention after Reid became the most prominent Democrat to differ with Bloomberg over the proposed mosque near the 9/11 site. The mayor supports it, while Reid said he preferred placing it elsewhere.

Danny Tarkanian, who ran unsuccessfully in the Nevada GOP Senate primary and now is raising money against Reid, challenged the incumbent's venture to the Big Apple.

"Senator Reid claimed that he opposed building the mosque so close to ground zero's hallowed ground, but now he's willing to take money from the Mayor who defends it," Tarkanian said in a news release last week.

"You know he lost, right?" Reid spokesman Jon Summers said. "Tarkanian should spend more time doing what he does best, telling people why Sharron Angle can't win, and less time trying to incite divisiveness on this issue."

Reid's Republican challenger, Sharron Angle, is planning an East Coast swing, with fundraising stops in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, her campaign said without releasing dates.

This would be Angle's first trip back to Washington since shortly after winning the Republican primary in June, and possibly time for a do-over with the D.C. media. Angle sought to introduce herself to GOP senators and national party figures during that visit, but the most lasting impression was her refusal to speak with reporters as they chased her through the U.S. Capitol.

Angle also will make several trips to California, and a fundraiser in Utah also is in the works, her campaign said.

Imagination on the trail

Lest it be said that the fierce Senate race is lacking any humor, the Political Eye wants to call attention to a couple of imaginative ventures that suggest at least some people in the Reid and Angle camps are having fun.

One is the Angle campaign's audio compilation of Reid's "greatest hits" gaffes. At the website , users click on a balloon to relive Reid bon mots such as, "You could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol," and, "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican."

Meanwhile, the Harry Reid online store now is selling "The Devil Wears Shoulder Pads" T-shirts .

The shirts, a takeoff on "The Devil Wears Prada" logo, are in basic black, a reference to the story in which Angle reportedly objected to the Tonopah High School football team wearing black uniforms for its 1992 homecoming game against Laughlin, supposedly because black was the color of Satan. (Angle has said she has no recollection of the episode, and at least one Tonopah school administrator at the time said he doesn't recall her being involved.)

At $25 a pop, the Reid camp could not say Friday how many T-shirts have been sold.

Along the same lines, with apologies to Sandra Bullock, the Reid campaign has produced a takeoff on the movie poster for "The Blind Side," superimposing Angle's head on Bullock's body as she walks alongside a hulking player who is wearing a shadowy jersey. The new title? "The Dark Side."

Not to be outdone on the gridiron theme, an Angle aide this past week delivered black football jerseys to Las Vegas media figures Jon Ralston, Steve Sebelius and Elizabeth Crum. (Laura Myers of the Review-Journal declined to accept.)

"We always thought this story was laughable, so we decided to have some fun with it," Angle spokesman Jarrod Agen said. "After Labor Day, both football and campaign seasons kick off in full swing, so we just wanted to make sure everyone was geared up."

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault @stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.