1. Why spend money when you’ve barely started running? Republican 7th District candidate Pat Meehan, only 16 days into his campaign when the third quarter closed Sept. 30, didn’t have to. The former U.S. Attorney spent a paltry $607, records show. Most of it was for processing online contributions, and the rest was for refreshments and supplies for his mid-September announcement tour.

2. Good help doesn’t come cheap. And Democratic 6th District candidate Doug Pike’s high-priced media consultants qualify as good help. Led by longtime Ed Rendell adviser Neil Oxman, The Campaign Group got a cool $25,000 from Pike’s campaign during the quarter.

3. Sometimes, more is just more. Republican Damian Dachowski is hoping to make a serious challenge to Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13). He’ll have to find some more donors. Schwartz finished the quarter with more than $2.5 million in her campaign account—more than 100 times the amount Dachowski has.

4. You’ve got to spend money to make money, right?. Republican Senate candidate has raised more than $3 million during the election cycle, but has less than $2 million left, despite not having a serious primary opponent. Where’d it all go? His complete third quarter report hasn’t been published yet, so we’ll have to wait and see.

5. Sometimes, your best friend is yourself. Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6), winding down his House campaign account as he runs for governor, sent $75,000 from his federal PAC to his state PAC. Who do you think he’s voting for?

I was intrigued to see that Doug Pike’s Congressional campaign has brought on Neil Oxman and The Campaign Group. Aside from being Gov. Ed Rendell’s longtime political adviser, Oxman has worked for Joe Torsella and Dan Wofford in the past.

Both had been rumored to be considering a run for Congressman Jim Gerlach’s (R-6) seat next year. Wofford told me a while back he was giving it some thought, and word on the street had Torsella mulling the race before he opted for a Senate run that went nowhere when Arlen Specter switched parties. Even after, I still hear his name bandied about.

But now, with Oxman working for Pike, the DCCC hyping him as a candidate and Pike boasting the ability to spend loads of his own money to get someone out of a primary, it really does seem unlikely that anyone is going to seriously challenge the former Inquirer writer for the nomination. As a reader put it simply in a posted comment about Wofford and Torsella: “I guess they are out of the running against Gerlach.”

Whether it’s Gerlach running for reelection or someone else, a clear Democratic primary means trouble for Republicans in the general election, especially in a district they’ve been laboring mightly to defend ever since its formation.

The Campaign Group, which Oxman runs with Doc Sweitzer and J.J. Balaban, will advise the Pike campaign and produce its radio and television ads. Philadelphia native Jef Pollock’s Global Strategy Group will conduct polls for the campaign. MSHC Partners, a direct-mail and interactive communications firm, will also advise the campaign.

The Campaign Group was recently working for Democrat Joe Torsella’s aborted Senate run, is working for gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato and helped elect Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Oxman this week topped pa2010.com‘s list of the Commonwealth’s Top 10 Political Consultants.

Let’s be honest here: Political consultants, especially in Pennsylvania, aren’t exactly known for their sense of fashion. Most operatives, when asked for their take on which of their colleagues had the best fashion, offered little more than a chuckle and a snide remark about sloppy shirts and ratty sneakers. Expletives describing consultants’ style were common.

“The standard’s pretty low,” one Democratic consultant said. “If you don’t have mustard stains on your collar, you can really pass as a well-dressed political consultant.”

Added a Republican consultant: “It’s hard to get in a room with these guys without stains on their shirts. If it’s a bit meeting they’ll put on their really good sneakers.”

How bad is the situation? We couldn’t even muster a Top 10.

Nevertheless, there are a few operatives who standout in the crowd. They may not all be GQ material, but their colleagues make them look great. So here are pa2010.com‘s Top 5 Best-Dressed Political Consultants. Think we’ve left someone off the list? Disagree with our order? Make your voice heard by posting a comment.

5. Matt Weaver

This new-kid-on-the-block in direct-mail could probably be higher on the list—let’s wait and see if he can stay snazzy over the course of a longer career. But pinstripe suits, “Top-Gun” style aviators and the occasionally tuxedo-style jacket, there’s no question that this Democratic consultant looks sharp. “He definitely gets plugged,” a colleague said.

4. Christopher Nicholas

Arlen Specter’s campaign manager, this longtime Republican consultant may not be the slimmest guy in the pack, but his colleagues give him credit for cleaning up nicely. “He’s a heavyset guy, but his shirts are always starched his trousers are always pressed,” one consultant said. “He’s more business casual, but he’s always well done out.”

3. Dan Fee

This Democratic consultant and longtime Rendell aide can be seen sporting pinstripe suits that hang nicely off his slender frame. “He always seems to have expensive suits, and unlike me, matching ties and no stains on his shirt,” one colleague said of Fee.

2. John Brabender

His style may not be for everyone, but at least he’s consistent. That is, black, black and more black. This longtime Republican consultant is almost always seen in the darkest of colors, whether it be his trademark black turtleneck or any number of other outfits.

“It sure makes it easier picking out socks,” Brabender said of his affinity for black.

Most of his colleagues and competitors, dig the style, but one insider takes exception.

“I love john, I think he’s the smartest guy I’ve ever seen in marketing political candidates, but I’d never put him on GQ,” this insider said. “It’s one color all the time. it’s like Johnny Cash.”

And the No. 1 Best-Dressed Political Consultant in Pennsylvania is… Maurice Floyd

This local Democratic consultant from Philly towers above the pack on this front. With fancy, freshly-pressed suits that you rarely see twice, Floyd is in a class by himself as a dresser.

“There can’t even be a runner up in that category,” one Democratic insider said of Floyd. “Maurice Floyd is the unchallenged champion. [His style] is audacious, it expresses a lot of self-confidence, and seems to make him  noticeable as a personality in a way that gives him authority.”

“He must spend a considerable part of his gross income on his clothes,” a fellow Democratic consultant said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wear the same thing twice.”

Told he was winning pa2010.com’s highest honor, Floyd laughed heartily for a solid 30 seconds before humbly accepting.

“I guess I’ve always had a thing for fashion since I was small kid,” Floyd said. “When I was growing up there were a lot of clothing stores on South Street. I remember getting off the bus and we were too poor for my mom to buy me the clothes other kids were wearing to school. But I said to myself, ‘when I grow up, I’m going to buy myself clothes I can be proud to wear.’ Lo and behold, I guess it worked.

“I love fashion,” he added. “It’s like a hobby for me.”

…lastly, a pa2010.com honorary mention for worst-dressed: Neil Oxman

This big-time Democratic consultant can take solace that he topped our Top 10 Political Consultants list. But with sneakers a mainstay in the outfit and shirts not exactly pressed, colleagues and competitors alike don’t hesitate to mention Oxman when asked who’s the worst dresser.

“I will be found guilty,” Oxman said. “Although I do wear nice buttoned-down shirts from Brooks Brothers every day. But I’m a damn sure better dresser than Cliff Wilson—the chairman of the Democratic party of Delaware County. That guy makes me look like a cross between Fred Astaire and Cary Grant.”

They are the Keystone State’s political consultants.

Few figures are as important to the inside-baseball game of politics we love to talk about here at pa2010.com. With that in mind, we present our first ever Top 10 Political Consultants.

In many ways, ranking political consultants like this can be a futile exercise. Win-loss trends often have little to do with their own skill and more to do with overarching political trends. Perhaps more importantly, there are so many kinds of consultants—strategy, media, field, public relations, finance, direct mail and so much more. Comparing one to the other is like comparing apples and oranges.

Nevertheless, pa2010.com humbly offers up our best shot at ranking the state’s best political operatives. Don’t agree with our order? Think we’ve left someone out? Advance the conversation by posting a comment below. A caveat: The party listings don’t necessarily reflect the actual party to which these folks belong, but rather denote the politicians for whom they most often work.

And stay tuned tomorrow for something even more fun… the best-dressed political consultants.

10. Michael Bronstein/Matt Weaver (D)

These two young guns are undoubtedly the rising stars in Pennsylvania politics when it comes to direct mail and political strategy. They’re still relatively new to the game, having founded their firm only a few years ago. But they’re quickly making a name for themselves in micro-targeting, especially in urban areas. They won Politics Magazine’s Best Bare-Knuckled Street Fight Victory in its 2009 Reed Awards for their work on state Representative Tony Payton’s (D-Philadelphia) campaign. Both cut their teeth in decidedly different ways, with Bronstein working for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Party and Weaver establishing himself as force in local county party organization. Look for these two become higher-profile as time goes on and they branch out into the general political strategy.

9. Elliot Curson (R)

There’s no question that Curson, one of Philadelphia’s most well-known ad men, would be higher on the list if he were still going full-speed as a political advertising consultant. He’s laying lower these days in his small Center City office. But the man who helped Ronald Reagan become president and later worked for Arlen Specter remains one of the best in the business.

8. Ed Mitchell (D)

One of the Pennsylvania’s most effective political spokesman, Mitchell has guided some of the state’s most embattled Democrats through reelection. He works for both Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) and Congressman John Murtha (D-12), both of whom have found themselves the favored targets of Republicans over the years. Kanjorski, in particular, was widely expected to lose last year. And while coverage of Kanjorski is rarely glowing these days, Mitchell can chew out a reporter on the phone as well as anyone. Yours truly would know.

7. Charlie Gerow (R)

Like Curson, Gerow would surely be higher on the list if it weren’t for his heavier focus on communications strategy outside the political world. Most recently from his helm atop Quantum Communications in Harrisburg, Gerow has been a mainstay in Republican politics for years. He was an aide to Reagan and even ran for Congress himelf (he lost in the 2000 GOP primary to Congressman Todd Platts). He’s recently done some work for judicial candidates and, in a rare foray into Democratic politics, he helped Linda Thompson in her surprise upset of Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed this year.

6. Dan Fee (D)

He’s been called one of the most politically-connected operatives in Pennsylvania, and as a longtime aide to Gov. Ed Rendell’s campaigns, the Philadelphia-based Fee is a sought-after commodity for Philly pols seeking to win elected office. He was Rendell’s campaign spokesman in 2002 and picked up a bigger portfolio in the governor’s 2006 reelection bid. He’s worked for former Philadelphia Mayor John Street and most recently helped Seth Williams win the city’s Democratic primary for District Attorney in a race where Williams was significantly outspent.

5. Mark Campbell (R)

Like Ed Mitchell, Mark Campbell knows how to push an incumbent Congressman through a tough election cycle. Having long been Congressman Jim Gerlach’s (R-6) top political adviser, he’s help Gerlach stay in office in an increasingly Democratic district that most analysts thought he would lose years ago.

4. Ken Snyder (D)

Like others on this list, Snyder earned his stripes under Rendell, who he’s worked for on-and-off ever since the governor was mayor of Philadelphia. More recently, he was a major spokesman for former state Senator Vince Fumo, and last year he helped elect Fumo’s successor. He’s working for gubernatorial hopeful Tom Knox’s campaign, and Rendell missed him so much that the administration brought him on as a communications consultant to explain how the state is spending its federal stimulus money.

3. John Brabender (R)

Attorney General Tom Corbett’s media man, it will be up to him to help the Republicans recapture the governorship next year. He’s got the experience—the Pittsburgh consultant has worked for Rick Santorum, David Vitter, Jim Gerlach, Tom Coburn and Rudy Giuliani during his run for president. Undoubtedly one of the best political ad men in the state, he oversaw an aggressive TV campaign last year that helped Corbett be the only Republican to win statewide in Pennsylvania.

2. Chris Mottola (R)

Considered by many of his colleagues to be the best Republican media man in the state, Mottola has worked for former President George W. Bush, Senator Lincoln Chafee and, of course, Arlen Specter. His greatest test could be yet to come—he’s sticking with Specter after the senator recently switched parties, and will try to push Specter through what could be his toughest election battle ever.

1. And the No. 1 political consultant in Pennsylvania is… Neil Oxman (D)

Among even his Republican colleagues, few hesitate to call Oxman the best in the business. He made his name electing Rendell mayor of Philadelphia when no one thought it could be done. He later helped push Rendell into the Governor’s Mansion, and led Mayor Michael Nutter’s media efforts in 2007 when no one thought the wonkish former city councilman could become mayor. He was working for Senate candidate Joe Torsella before he dropped out of the race. And now Oxman wants to help Democrats hold the Governor’s Mansion by working for Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. With help from Doc Sweitzer and and J.J. Balaban, his Philadelphia-based firm The Campaign Group has become a national powerhouse in political advertising.

Told he was winning pa2010.com’s highest honor, he humbly insisted that his colleagues and competitors know as much if not more about running campaigns as he does.

“The truth is,” Oxman wrote in an e-mail, “after all the hype, all of us have good days and bad days and in the end our candidates win or lose not because of what we do but because voters decide that the candidates are good or bad from their viewpoint on a whole range of issues.”

UPDATE: See my blog post about a possible omission from this list.

Oxman is working for Democrat Joe Torsella, who now has to face newly-Democratic Senator Arlen Specter in next year’s primary. Torsella had been seen as Rendell’s favored candidate, but now most assume he’ll back Specter.

In an interview with Politico, Oxman said it wouldn’t matter.

“Ed Rendell will be for Specter and will be at the press conference with the president tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s relevant,” Oxman said. “In these kinds of races people make up their minds not because some government leader tells them to.

“Specter has a record and his record is—for Democratic primary voters—not a very good one,” he added. “I don’t think it matters what Joe Biden or Harry Reid or any Washington guy says. Specter [has] a record of votes, and they have not been particularly good ones, for the last 20 years.”