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In newly-competitive contest, Murphy has $848K
Facing the prospect of a viable Republican challenge that seemed remote only weeks ago, Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) is in the process of refilling campaign coffers that were greatly depleted by a late spending push in 2008.
Murphy raised about $321,000 in the last three months of 2009, finishing the year with about $848,000 in cash on hand, according to campaign finance data. Former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who Murphy unseated in 2006, only declared his intention to seek a rematch in January. Word had only begun to surface that he was considering it late last year, and with a deep national fundraising base, Murphy’s pace is sure to pick up considerably in the coming months.
Murphy had more than $2.2 million in the bank in September of 2008. What was expected to be a closer race against Republican Tom Manion got easier when the economy turned sour, but Murphy still shelled out thousands on TV in the closing weeks before
Election Day. A couple weeks before voters went to the polls, he was down to $1.5 million in campaign cash. After the election, he had only $238,000. He beat Manion by 15 points.
Against a more seasoned opponent in a more hostile political environment, his race against Fitzpatrick is by all accounts expected to be more difficult. Aghast at even the thought of losing Murphy’s seat, some Democratic fundraisers are preparing an all-out effort to get Murphy’s account balance past where it was in mid-2008.
Fitzpatrick will not file any campaign finance numbers until the end of March. Several Republican candidates have dropped out of the race since he came into the picture. One candidate who’s staying in the race, Gloria Carlineo, said Sunday that she finished the year with more than $100,000 on hand. Her fourth-quarter campaign finance report had not yet been published online late Sunday night.
February 1, 2010 at 9:30 am
Tags: Gloria Carlineo, Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-8, Patrick Murphy
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Rightgirlinbucks
Feb 1st, 2010
Murphy’s worried as he should be. It will be an expensive loss for him. The citizens of Bucks County deserve better..he was never a “Blue dog” democrat. His record is clear as a liberal, progressive, tax and spend disciple of Nancy Pelosi, and OBAMA.
BlueFox
Feb 1st, 2010
This is a shame. Patrick Murphy has been, in his four years in office, one of the best representatives in congress, and I am proud to have him represent me. The stimulus package has brought countless jobs to our district; I see the signs (both literal and figurative) everywhere. And even in a swing district like this one, Rep. Murphy has taken a principled stance against DADT. His stance on this issue carries a lot of weight given his military service.
This will be a tough race, but anyone in the 8th district who reads this should look back at Murphy’s record; he absolutely deserves to keep his seat.
Anonymous
Feb 1st, 2010
Murphy must be pulling for Fitzpatrick to get the GOP bid over the other grassroots GOP candidates (Carlineo, etc.). That is because Murphy is going to be able to effectively paint Fitz as a Bush Republican. As part of a Bush Congress that grew government and initiated reckless spending (including plenty of Fitz earmarks) in the first place, Fitz has little to no appeal to independents. As you may recall, Scott Brown successfully deflected attempts to cast him as a Bush Republican by stating that “Don’t blame me. I wasn’t there” … obviously, Fitz won’t be able to say that.
If the local GOP was smart, they would go with a candidate who does not have to defend his Bush record and who will energize both the GOP and independents. Hey, Harry and Pat, that is not Fitz.
If it is Murphy v. Fitz, I fear that Murphy will win. Unfortunately, the Doylestown GOP Mafia would rather lose with their “golden boy” than allow someone outside their control a chance to beat Murphy.
Vote them all out and start over!
Rightdownthemiddle
Feb 1st, 2010
Congressman Murphy has done a remarkable job in an environment that is not suited for politics…no one wants to work together as evidenced by the ridiculous display from the GOP on State of the Union Night. I would be embarassed to be a republican and dis respect the president as they did. We should all be working towards the same goal; to do whats right for everyone in the country. I see Murphy out at events contstantly, asking questions and listening to the folks of Bucks County. If my company was run the same way as this country i would be joing the ranks of the unemployed and so would my employees. we work together to come to a conclusion on differences.
ha
Feb 9th, 2010
Murphy is a joke. The pro-Murphy folks supporting him (above) must be from special interests or die-hard libs. Murphy refused to meet with constituents about health care and he voted with Nancy Pelosi and the extreme left 97% of the time.
Too bad the Doylestown GOP bosses are as bad as Murphy. They all need to go. We need new blood in both parties. I won’t vote for Murphy, but i’m not voting for Fitz either. I can only hope that one of the other Repubs (Carlineo, Hoffman, Jones) stays in the race and considers running as an independent if they don’t win the primary.
angryindependent
May 10th, 2010
I voted for him twice but will not vote for him again. He said he was a Blue Dog and he is anything but! There is not a spending bill in congress that he has voted against.