Roll Call

Richer, for Poorer
Some Potentially Vulnerable House Members Are Already Sitting on Bulging 2006 Campaign War Chests; Others Are Broke
By Josh Kurtz
Roll Call Staff

February 2, 2005
Several freshman House Members who just won costly, hard-fought elections begin their 2006 re-election battles with almost no money left in their campaign accounts, while others appear to have quickly started to replenish their re-election funds.
The same dichotomy holds true for more senior incumbents who can expect to be targeted by the other party in 2006.
These conclusions come from an analysis of the latest campaign statements that candidates and officeholders were required to file with the Federal Election Commission this week.
Roll Call looked at the 38 House Members who received 55 percent of the vote or less on Election Day. Most, though not all, can expect relatively vigorous challenges in 2006.
Using cash-on-hand figures ? that is, the amount of money candidates had left in their treasuries at the end of 2004 ? it would seem as though freshman Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.) is in the most dire financial straits. Her campaign had just $139 left in the bank on Dec. 31 after spending about $800,000 to win a late-starting competitive race to replace retiring Rep. Ed Schrock (R).
It remains to be seen whether Democrats will seriously contest the Republican-leaning southeast Virginia district in 2006. Drake?s opponent last year, highly touted attorney David Ashe, had $33,000 in the bank on Dec. 31.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Russ Carnahan (Mo.) had the least money on hand among freshmen in the 55 percent-or-less club, with just $7,700 in his bank account as of Dec. 31. Carnahan, who spent $1.3 million in 2004, could face a Democratic primary challenge next year from college professor Jeff Smith, one of the candidates he defeated in the race to succeed veteran Rep. Richard Gephardt (D). But the St. Louis-area seat is considered relatively safe for whomever is the Democratic nominee.