As I wrote in February, Suzanne Kosmas is the real deal in the FL-24 race against Tom Feeney. The evidence continues to pour in.
Fundraising reports for the 1st quarter are out and the news is anything but good for Feeney. Kosmas raised just over $302,000 to Feeney's about $197,000. In just six months, Kosmas has also overtaken Feeney in cash on hand - $581,000 to $549,000. That's quite amazing.
It's true that Kosmas is a DCCC candidate and she is receiving campaign money from a lot of outsiders ($71,500 in PAC money), but she is still the only viable Democrat in the race. And, it's looking like she may be a real threat to rid Florida of Tom Feeney.
The other Democratic candidate, Clint Curtis, an apparent favorite of many readers here, continues to do poorly in the fundraising race. He raised only $4,300 this cycle and has just over that in cash on hand. I don't think there's any way he can be competitive.
There's a Democratic fundraiser here next month that I'll be attending. Kosmas and Curtis were both slated to appear but Curtis has now pulled out. I don't know the reasons behind that but it certainly seems that Kosmas is considered not only viable, but a possible frontrunner in the district race.
Feeney's campaign put on its game face.
A Feeney spokeswoman downplayed the fundraising difference and said he is "not focused on the campaign right now." In fact, Feeney collected about $60,000 more in the first three months of 2008 than he did in 2006.
"Every two years, special-interest groups try to come in and intimidate Tom Feeney, only to be disappointed," spokeswoman Pepper Pennington said.
That seems a bit of a reach to me. And, there's a lot of whispering going on in Republican backrooms.
