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Argall raises little, but still leads money race

State Senator Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill) is still beating out his primary opponents in fundraising—but not because he’s bringing in much cash.

Argall raised almost $17,000 from April 1 to April 28, according to campaign finance data, significantly less than many other Republican challengers in the state. He burned through about $50,000 during the period, and finished with $71,000 in the bank. Primary hopefuls Frank Ryan and Allen Griffith raised about $11,000 and $3,300, respectively, and Argall enjoys a war chest more than twice the size of Ryan’s.

The three are competing to face Congressman Tim Holden (D-17). who finished the month with about $855,000 in cash on hand. Republican Josh First finished the period with jut over $2,000 on hand. The district is currently ranked No. 9 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

Political insiders widely consider Argall to be the primary front-runner because of his name recognition and party support. He burned through about $50,000 last month, about half of which went to Long Nyquist & Associates, the Harrisburg-based firm that is running his campaign. It remains to be seen if any candidates in the primary will have the resources for any significant amount of TV advertising.

Argall spokesman Josh Wilson told pa2010.com this week that a decision on TV time is still forthcoming.

“We’re fully confident we’ll have the resources to mount a visible campaign through the airwaves and direct contact with voters,” Wilson said. “We anticipate being on the air but we still haven’t made a decision.”

Peter Panepinto contributed reporting.

May 7, 2010 at 9:00 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Allen Griffith, Dave Argall, Frank Ryan, Josh First, PA-17, Tim Holden

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