Bachmann shows fund-raising muscle
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann appears to have appeal well outside her district.
While her aides deny she is interested in running for governor, an analysis by the University of Minnesota's Smart Politics blog shows her financial reach extends outside of her 6th Congressional District, which stretches from St. Cloud through northern Twin Cities suburbs into the eastern Twin Cities area.
Eric Ostermeier reports that the colorful and quotable Republican raised more individual contributions in the St. Paul-area district served by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum than did McCollum. And she raised nearly as much money in the second quarter of the year in U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison's Minneapolis-centered district than did Ellison.
Bachmann raised $17,650 from individuals in McCollum's district last quarter, compared to $1,825 that McCollum herself received.
Ostermeier figured out that Bachmann raised a higher percentage of contributions from Minnesota individuals than McCollum, Ellison, Collin Peterson and Jim Oberstar. Of course, the other members of Congress have more access to special interest money because they have leadership roles and are in the House Democratic majority, so they can get money from political action committees and out-of-state donors easier than Bachmann.
Added Ostermeier: "Perhaps the most dramatic way to slice the data is as follows: The total sum in large donor individual contributions raised by McCollum, Ellison, Peterson and Oberstar in their respective home districts ($16,475) was less than 60 percent of the amount Bachmann received from residents in these four DFL districts ($28,200)."
