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Sestak’s fundraising slows; campaign says $4.7M on hand

Congressman Joe Sestak’s (D-7) campaign said Thursday that it had raised $758,000 during the third quarter, signaling a slowdown in the Senate hopeful’s normally frenetic fundraising place and foreshadowing a difficult money race against Senator Arlen Specter.

Sestak had raised more than $1 million in the second quarter, when he was still taking contributions to his Congressional campaign. Sestak’s latest campaign finance report had not yet been published online late Thursday afternoon, but the smaller third quarter haul could underscore the financial challenges he will face with most of the Democratic establishment lined up behind Specter.

In characteristic form, Sestak’s campaign sought to immediately turn the focus back on Specter, noting that Specter has spent more than three times as much as Sestak during the cycle, while the longtime incumbent’s poll numbers continue to slip.

“Even though he has spent that amount of money, Specter’s job approval has declined sharply,” the campaign said in an unusually terse statement.

Specter now has $8.7 million on hand, while Republican Pat Toomey has raised more than $3 million thus far, but has yet to disclose the amount of campaign cash he has on hand.

See the Sestak campaign’s full release below:

Statement from Congressman Joe Sestak’s Campaign

MEDIA, PA – Over the past three months, Admiral Sestak has raised $758,000 and now has over $4.7 million cash-on-hand.

Over the past three months, Senator Specter has spent more than $700,000 compared to our spending $325,000. For all of 2009, Arlen Specter has spent nearly $2 million, compared to our spending $580,000.

Even though he has spent that amount of money, Specter’s job approval has declined sharply, with the Susquehanna Polling and Research firm reporting on Wednesday, 14 October, that only 31% of Pennsylvanians and 44% of Democrats support re-electing Arlen Specter to a record sixth term in Washington.

October 15, 2009 at 3:44 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

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