Another Take on Money and the Senate Race

Yesterday I wrote that Kay Hagan would have trouble knocking off Elizabeth Dole if she couldn't match her dollar for dollar.

The Senate Guru, who maintains an outstanding blog here about the Senate races across the country wrote in to remind me that isn't necessarily the case.

He reported that in 2006 George Allen spent more than three times as much as Jim Webb, Jim Talent spent more than twice as much as Claire McCaskill, and Rick Santorum and Conrad Burns spent nearly twice as much as Bob Casey and Jon Tester respectively. In all four of those cases the Democratic challenger knocked off the Republican incumbent in spite of the money deficit.

I don't think the political climate is quite as toxic for Republicans this year as it was in 2006, mostly because GOP voters who were so unhappy with their party then that they didn't come out to vote seem more likely to come cast a ballot for President. Nevertheless, the Senate Guru has a good point- although it sure would be nice if Hagan could match Dole dollar for dollar!