The Congressional Quarterly's online publication likens campaign finance reports to "a strong cup of coffee or a cold shower." Here's an excerpt:
The open-seat race doesn’t include any elected state officials, but Robin Smith, a former state Republican Party chairwoman, appears to be the candidate with the best connections among Volunteer State political insiders. She used those connections to bring in $91,000 from October to December leaving her $180,000 in cash on hand at the end of the year.
Unless the field changes before the April candidate filing deadline, Smith’s top competitor in the GOP primary appears to be Chuck Fleischmann, an attorney and former radio talk show host who is proving to be one of the top self-funders of the cycle. He has loaned his campaign $380,000 since filing in May and reported $451,000 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31.
Be sure to read the rest, including a discussion of Georgia's 9th District, which covers much of Chattanooga's metro area on the Georgia side of the border.
A recent letter to chattanoogan.com, on the other hand, decries the notion that contributions should determine who represents us in Washington. Kelley McNabb wrote:
The Chattanoogan.com has been brimming the last few days with candidates from all of the races rolling out the rhetoric to try to convince the public that their bank balances should mean something to us.
Show me the candidate who has more ideas than dollars. Show me the candidate who has more experience than attitude. Show me the candidate who seems to understand that they’ll represent all of us in Congress: those who contributed to one side, those who contributed to another, and the majority who made no financial contributions at all.
Joe Lance
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