The first quarter campaign finance reports are released; and in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, Bill Cassidy has by far the most cash on hand with more than $7 million in his war chest. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says that’s not surprising, given the fact that Cassidy is an incumbent running for re-election.
“The question is, can that cash be spent in a way that will benefit the final vote total in this Closed-Party Primary? And the answer there is still unclear,” Cross said.
Julia Letlow’s campaign reports more than $2.275 million cash on hand, while John Fleming’s campaign reports just under $2.2 million. Fleming’s total, however, is exceeded by more than $3.6 million in debts still owed, after Fleming loaned his own campaign more than $10 million. Cross says self-funding his campaign may be part of his strategy.
“Certainly, it could be that that $10 million he just put in is an expression of confidence in his chances, which is supported at the polls which show him becoming more and more of a contender,” Cross explained.
Cross says no one is in danger of running out of money between now and May 16th, after which date things will heat up ahead of the June 27th runoff.
“Once you get down to the runoff, the final two candidates, then you’ll really see the donations heat up. And at that point, resources will become really important; even more so, perhaps, than they are right now,” Cross noted.
While Cassidy has almost twice as much cash on hand than Fleming and Letlow combined, polls indicate that it’s unclear which of the three will end up being the odd one out after May 16th.
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