Sen. Barbara Boxer’s reelection bid may be in trouble in the Golden State, but she’s sitting on a massive campaign war chest that will come in handy if her battle with Carly Fiorina (R) ends up being as tough as it seems to be.
Both Boxer (D-CA) and Fiorina released fundraising figures for the second quarter (April 1-June 30) today and the strong numbers help Boxer offset some bad poll news in recent days. Boxer raised $4.6 million and has $11.3 million in the bank.
Fiorina raised $2.3 million in the quarter, $1.4 million of that from May 20 to June 30. She loaned herself $5.5 million. But she has $950,000 in the bank. (An earlier version of this post reported Fiorina had $620,000 in the bank, but a campaign operative told TPM the treasurer had made an error.)
“There’s no denying that we’re starting, and will probably continue to be, at a significant cash disadvantage to Boxer: we went through a tough and expensive primary and have only had a few weeks of raising cash for the general while Boxer has been stockpiling funds for 6 years,” Fiorina spokeswoman Andrea Saul wrote in a memo today. Saul cited the polls which “confirm Boxer’s vulnerability,” she said, and show the seat is winnable.
The TPM Poll Average of this race has Boxer with 46.1% over Fiorina with 43.0%. But the Cook Political Report today moved the race to “Toss-Up.”
Cook’s Jennifer Duffy concluded today, “Given Fiorina’s strengths as a candidate and her ability to put some personal money into the race, combined with the national political environment and California’s beleaguered economy that has voters clamoring for change, this contest is shaping up to be one of the most competitive of the cycle.”
Republicans think they have a strong chance to win this one, and are feeling even more confident about Meg Whitman’s (R) chances of beating Jerry Brown (D) in the governor’s race.
Boxer’s fundraising haul also is thanks in part to President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who each have made trips on her behalf.
